A Different Road
by H8trzgonnah8te
Summary: After Lee's death, Clementine is found by an unlikely person. Taking the girl under her wing, Molly is determined to see that young Clementine lives a life that her sister lost too soon. Will her survival skills be enough to keep the child alive?
1. Chapter 1

_**New story. This one is a co-write between gaara king of the sand, G0nna6of4rk1d, and I. Hopefully you guys enjoy it.**_

 _ **Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

 _ **Go check out G0nna6of4rk1d's fics if you haven't yet.**_

* * *

 _"You have to shoot me, honey…"_

Those words tore through her like a shredder, ripping her into little pieces.

The child quickly shook her head, looking horrified at the idea. "Lee, no…"

"It's okay. It's okay." His voice was so quiet it was barely a whisper. Clementine almost couldn't hear him over her pounding heart.

"Clem... when I was standing over Duck, holding that gun... it was so hard. I'm sorry you're in that position now. I'd give anything for you not to be." Lee said. "But you just have to point it at me, close your eyes and be thankful you never have to see me as one of them. You can do it. I know you can."

"Okay, Lee... I can do it. I can." Clementine whimpered.

"Find Omid... and... Christa." Lee breathed out. "They're outside of town... by the train. You remember how to get back there?"

"Yes." Clementine sniffed.

"Good." Lee said. "They'll take good care of you."

Clementine started sobbing. She didn't want anyone else taking care of her. She just wanted all of this to be a bad dream.

"And Clem..." Lee called gently.

The girl quickly looked to him, "Yes?"

"Keep that hair short..." Lee said.

Clementine gave a nod. "I will. I'll cut it myself."

"Great. Good." Lee said. His gaze dropped to the floor, he seemed detached from his body.

Clementine swallowed nervously, waiting for him to speak again.

"And also..." Lee suddenly stopped, head lulling to the side.

"What, what is it?" Clementine called, there was an urgent need in her voice.

"No, don't worry... Alright?" Lee said. "I'll miss you."

"Me too." Clementine replied, teary eyed.

Clementine slowly made her way to her feet. She raised the gun, arms shaking, almost uncontrollably.

They looked into each other's eyes, as if saying a final goodbye.

Clementine pulled the trigger and fired a single shot. The sound was loud and echoing; It scared her to hear it again.

The deafening noise continued to tingle in her ears. She stood still, body trembling, the gun slipped from her hands and fell to her feet.

The color drained from her little face, as her breath became short gasps.

This was it... She had killed him. She had killed Lee…

Her face was filled with a huge amount of grief and sorrow.

She reached down to pick up the gun.

Her tiny form was shaking as she tried to process what had just happened.

She had shot her guardian. The one person who took care of her and protected her was gone and it was all her fault. Lee was dead because of her.

Her head was low, heart bursting with pain as she cried to herself. She was weeping more than she had ever cried in her life.

She choked on her sobs, wanting nothing more than to drop to her knees and stay there with the lifeless form of her recent protector. However, she knew she couldn't do that. She had to keep moving, to stay alive. She couldn't allow Lee's sacrificed to be in vain.

She wiped away tears, but they just continued to come. She tried to take a moment to wait for the tears to stop flowing, but the longer she stayed beside her fallen guardian the more tears blurred her vision.

The child finally managed to get her legs to move, but they felt heavy as lead. She thought she would collapse any minute. Every step she took made her realize just a little more that she was alone. The same way she had been before Lee had found her.

Clementine sniffled. What would she do now?

* * *

Her gun was empty. She realized with dread. How would she be able to handle walkers without a weapon. She was little. She wasn't strong like Lee told her she was. She wasn't brave, she had only been trying to be because he was with her, but now he was gone.

She sat on a log, needing to give her aching feet a break.

Christa and Omid could still be around… At least she hoped they were. She didn't know what she'd do if they had left.

She looked down, spotting some gun shells on the ground, but upon further examination they looked unusable.

With a sigh the girl began to nervously chew the inside of her mouth.

She wondered what would happen if she wasn't able to find Christa and Omid. How would she, a barely nine-year-old little girl, survive on her own? How was she supposed to take care of herself?

She went from always having someone with her to being completely alone in the blink of an eye.

She hadn't the slightest idea what to do. Where would she find food and water? How would she keep warm?

Now she finally understood why the adults would often become so stressed and panicked. For a while Clementine only had to worry about little things, like her crayons breaking or going missing.

How did things get so bad so fast? She went from worrying about normal kid stuff to wondering if her parents were ever going to find her, but now she knew the truth.

Her mommy and daddy weren't coming back. They were gone. No. They were dead… just like Lee.

Clementine only had herself to rely on now.

Just the very thought made her want to cry again.

The girl looked up and something caught her eye. She stood, wondering if her mind was playing tricks on her. As she narrowed her eyes, she was certain she saw two figures in the distance. They were too far away for to make out if she knew the two. She could call out to them, but it bared a risk.

After a few moments of standing indecisive the child opened her mouth to speak.

"Clementine?"

The girl jumped, startled at the sound of her name. She whipped around to face the source of voice. Her eyes widened, jaw dropped in surprise. She wasn't expecting to ever see that person again. She couldn't help her stammering, "M-Molly."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for helping me out.**_

* * *

Molly looked around for anyone else, but it was clear Clementine was alone. "What are you doing out here alone?" She questioned.

"I...I..." Clementine began stammering.

"Where's Lee?" Molly asked.

Clementine's eyes watered a bit. "He's... He's gone." The child whimpered.

Molly looked confused. "Gone? Where?"

Clementine didn't say anything. Instead she lowered her head sadly.

"Oh, Clem..." Molly frowned. "What about everyone else?"

"They're gone too..." Clementine whimpered. "Lee said Christa and Omid should be around somewhere."

Molly nodded. "Where exactly?"

Clementine shrugged. "By the train..."

"Can't be." Molly shook her head. "It's overran."

Clementine's eyes widened, "What?"

"Any other ideas where they could be?" Molly asked her.

Clementine shook her head in response.

Molly looked the child over, then sighed. "I'll take care of you."

"Huh?" Clementine looked up with teary eyes.

"Let's go." Molly simply said. "We can't stay in one place for too long."

Clementine nodded. "Okay."

Clementine reached out her hand for the woman to take. Molly looked at the girl for a moment before she took the child's hand.

* * *

Clementine shivered as the cold air blow around her.

"You okay?" Molly asked feeling her shaking

"It's cold." Clementine mumbled.

Molly frowned. "I guess we'll have to find you warmer clothes."

Clementine gave a nod in response.

"Sit tight for a minute." Molly released the girl's hand.

Clementine sent her a confused look. "Where are you going?" Her voice sounded full of worry.

"Nowhere." Molly replied.

"What are you going to do?" Clementine questioned.

Molly let out a sigh. "You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

Clementine frowned at that.

Molly noticed the girl frown. "You said you're cold, right?"

"Yes..." Clementine confirmed.

"I'm starting a fire." Molly explained.

Clementine nodded in understand.

Molly started to gather some wood for the fire. She then spotted a pile of leaves that had been blown by the wind. She gathered and arm full before piling it onto the wood. From there she proceeded to light the fire. Moments later, flames danced low on the wood.

"Come over here." She motioned Clementine over.

Clementine did as she told, moving to sit by the fire.

"You hungry?" Molly asked the child.

"Yeah." Clementine nodded.

"Alright." Molly dug through a bag, pulling out a can of beans. She dug into her pocket, grabbing a pocket knife. She used the knife to open the can before offering it to the little girl. "Careful. Don't cut yourself." She said.

Clementine nodded and carefully reached into the can, pulling out some beans. The girl ate in silence feeling a little more comfortable than she had felt moments ago.

"You okay?" Molly asked noting the child's silence.

"Yes." Clementine said.

"Want to talk about what happened?" Molly asked the girl.

Clementine sighed, not saying anything.

"You don't have to." Molly told her gently.

"No... It's okay." Clementine said, placing the can down.

Molly waited patiently for the girl to speak.

"This man... He got in contact with me through my walkie talkie." She explained. "He told me he was with my parents... I believed him."

Molly looked a bit worried. "What happened?"

"I told him a lot of stuff about the group..." Clementine said. "...And that we were coming to Savannah."

"What did he do?"

"He took me to a hotel... He claimed my parents were there... but they weren't." Clementine said. "He lied." She whimpered. "He locked me in this room... Lee came and saved me... but...but he told me he was bit." Clementine's voice cracked. "I had to s-shoot him."

Tears were falling at that point.

Molly watched the girl sob for a moment, not knowing what to do. Eventually she wrapped her arms around the little child. "Don't cry, Clem."

Clementine couldn't help it though.

With a small sigh, Molly held the girl until her tears stopped.

"You okay?" Molly asked once the girl's crying had ceased.

"Y-Yeah..."

"You sure?" Molly questioned.

Clementine nodded. "I think so."

"Alright. Good." Molly said. "I suck at comforting people."

"You did an okay job." Clementine said gently.

"Really? Do I qualify for a gold metal?" Molly joked.

"Not yet." Clementine gave a weak giggle.

"I guess we'll work on that." Molly smirked.

"I guess so..." Clementine agreed.

The two feel silent once again, looking to the fire.

"How'd you make a fire so fast?" Clementine suddenly asked.

"I'll teach you tomorrow." Molly said.

"Really?" Clementine asked, slightly surprised.

"Yeah." Molly nodded. "You should learn sooner rather than later."

"Okay, good." Clementine said.

"You actually have a lot of things to learn." Molly said.

"I know how to shoot a gun." Clementine said.

"Yeah, I know." Molly nodded. "You're a good little shooter too."

"Thanks." Clementine smiled.

"No problem. You sure saved my ass back at Crawford." Molly said.

Clementine frowned.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked.

"Swear..." Clementine said.

"What?" Molly raised a brow.

"You said a swear." Clementine replied.

"Oh..." Molly chuckled. "Sorry... You might want to get used to that kid."

Clementine frowned even more.

"Okay, okay. No swears." Molly raised her hands in surrender.

Clementine gave a satisfied smile.

"We'll try to find you some warmer clothes tomorrow too." Molly said.

Clementine nodded. "Are we leaving Savannah?"

"Yeah, but not yet. We're going to find some supplies and stuff first." Molly said.

"Alright. That's a good idea." Clementine said.

"After that we'll leave." Molly said. "But we need to be ready to leave."

"Right..." Clementine agreed. "Umm... Where will we go?"

"I'm not sure yet." Molly answered truthfully. "But Savannah's no good. There's not much left here. Our best chance at survival is to leave."

"Okay." Clementine said.

"Sounds like a plan?" Molly asked.

"Yeah, I think so." Clementine nodded.

"Good, now let's get some sleep." Molly said.

Tired, the two laid on a soft piece of ground. They looked to the sky for a while.

"The stars are so pretty." Clementine commented.

"Yeah..." Molly agreed. "I guess they are."

"Where's the big dipper?" Clementine asked. "I can never find it."

Molly began to scan the dark sky, "Right there." She pointed.

Clementine sat up to get a better look. "Wow... How pretty."

Molly smiled at the child's innocence. "Alright, bedtime."

"Okay." Clementine laid back down. "Goodnight, Molly."

"Night, Clem."

Eventually, exhaustion took over and the child feel asleep.

Molly glanced to the girl. That child was a piece of hope, a sign of innocence. She silently vowed to herself to keep that child alive, no matter what.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Molly had no clue what she was going to do... How she was going to take care of that child? She knew there was no way she could leave her. She wasn't cruel. She wasn't like those people from Crawford.

Suddenly she was pulled out of her thought by a tiny noise.

She looked to her side. Clementine lay, clearly asleep, but the girl was in the grips of some kind of nightmare. She was thrashing about, tears streaming down her little face as small cries coming from her little form.

Molly looked to the child in concern. She gently gave the girl a shake.

"No... Lee... Please don't leave me..." Clementine whimpered.

Molly tried again, in vain, to wake her but she would not be pulled from her haunting dream.

Molly felt her heart clench the more the child cried.

She shook the child more, not knowing what else to do.

"Clem, wake up kiddo." Molly called.

The young girl flinched.

Molly shook the child once more.

Clementine's eyes snapped open, the child's breathing was harsh. Her body was racked with soundless sobs as tears dripped down her face.

"It's okay, Clem. It was just a bad dream." Molly assured the girl.

Clementine gave a tiny nod, slowly calming down.

They were silent for a while. Clementine tried to get the images of her nightmare out of her head, but it was hard to clear her mind of the events that had happened only the day before.

"You okay?" Molly asked.

Clementine nodded again.

"Want to talk about it?" Molly asked.

The nine-year-old shrugged. "I don't know."

"You should." Molly said. "It might help."

And so the child told her about the dream she had. Molly comforted the young girl as she cried for several minutes. Eventually the girl calmed down, wiping away tears.

Clementine sniffled a few times before offering Molly a small smile, "Thanks." She said.

"Don't mention it." Molly said.

Molly gave the little girl a pat on the back before speaking again, "You hungry?"

"A little." Clementine said. "It's still a little dark… Is it morning?"

"More or less." Molly replied.

The sun had just started to rise.

"Oh…" Clementine said. "Where are we going after this?"

"We're going to check around for any supplies and then we'll get the fuck out of Savannah." Molly said.

"Swear." Clementine huffed.

"What?"

"You said a swear again." Clementine said.

Molly chuckled. "Might as well get used to it kid."

Clementine frowned.

"Alright fine. I'm sorry." Molly said, rolling her eyes.

"Good. No more swears." Clementine said.

"No promises." Molly responded.

Clementine decided it was fair, as long as Molly tried her best not to swear too much.

Molly started to dig through her bag to find some food. She took out a single can which contained some fruit. Using a pocket knife, she opened the can, offering it to the tiny child. Clementine accepted the food with a smile, "Thank you."

"Yep." Molly said. "Eat up, kiddo."

Clementine started eating. After she ate half of the can, she offered it to Molly who accepted it.

Once they had both finished eating the sun had completely risen up.

Molly started to pack up all the supplies, "Alright, Clem. Let's get going." She called once she finished packing.

Clementine nodded standing up.

Molly slung the bag over her shoulder before offering the child her hand.

Clementine held Molly's hand and the two took off.

* * *

"Molly…" Clementine called.

"What?" Molly looked down at the girl.

"Can we take a break?" Clementine asked.

Molly sighed, looking back to the door, she was currently trying to pick the lock.

"Please?" Clementine said.

"Alright." Molly agreed. She was sure the child was exhausted. They had been on the move all day, bouncing from house to house. Fortunately, they had managed to find a couple of weapons and a few cans of food.

Molly noticed little Clementine let out a yawn. She had definitely tired the child out.

"You okay?" Molly asked her.

"I'm kind of sleepy." Clementine said.

"I bet." Molly replied. "You hungry or anything?"

"Yeah…" Clementine said.

"Okay." Molly nodded.

Eventually, she managed to get the door unlocked.

"Come on." She opened the door, making sure to keep Clementine behind her in case anything or anyone was inside. "Let's get into the house."

Clementine made sure to stay close to the woman as the two of them made their way into the house.

* * *

The house was dark and it was cold.

Clementine shivered. "It's freezing…"

"Yeah." Molly agreed. The woman led the young girl to a room that appeared to be a living room.

The child took a seat on the couch while Molly checked through the house. Once she finished looking around she returned to the living room to find Clementine was no longer on the couch.

Worried, she started calling for the young girl. Suddenly, she heard a shriek. Molly quickly ran into the direction of the noise, expecting to see the girl being attack.

Molly stopped once she spotted Clementine. The girl was standing in the bathroom, trembling and looking horrified. Molly's eyes widened as she saw why.

Blood covered the floor and not too far from her feet laid a figure, bullet wound in their head.

Molly grabbed Clementine by the arm and pulled the small child from the bathroom.

She brought Clementine to the living room and sat the girl's shaking form on the couch.

Clementine's eyes were still wide, petrified.

Molly asked the girl is she was okay, but Clementine gave no response, she was too shocked to speak.

"Stay here." Molly ordered.

Clementine said nothing, but she didn't move from the spot.

Molly went back to the bathroom to clear the body out. She did so, fighting the urge to vomit at the horrific sight. It was definitely not the worse she'd seen, but it was still pretty bad.

Once she had moved the body she tried to use the rug to soak up some of the blood. It was completely ineffectual.

"Damn it." Molly swore, upset that Clementine had walked into such a scene. She should have been more aware, should have check the house faster.

"Molly…"

Molly jumped at the child's voice. She frowned, looking at the girl. "I told you to stay in the living room."

"…I'm sorry…" Clementine said.

"Why'd you come in her anyway?" Molly asked her.

"I had to pee." Clementine said.

"You can't just wander off on your own." Molly said. "That's dangerous."

Clementine lowered her head, "I know… Sorry."

"Just don't do it again." Molly said.

"Okay." Clementine mumbled.

"You still got to pee?" Molly asked.

"Yes…"

"Okay… Umm… Try not to step in the blood."

Clementine nodded and entered the bathroom.

Molly made her way out of the room, giving the girl some privacy.

* * *

"There's so much blood in there…" Clementine mumbled as she entered the living room.

"Yeah…" Molly said in agreement, not looking up from the bag she was digging through.

"What happened?" Clementine asked.

"I guess the guy shot himself." Molly responded.

Clementine gasped.

"What?" Molly asked.

"W-Why would he do that?" Clementine asked.

"Guess he didn't want to live anymore." Molly shrugged.

"Like… Katjaa?" Clementine frowned.

"Who's Katjaa?" Molly asked.

"Kenny's wife." Clementine said.

"Yeah…" Molly said. "I guess so…"

Molly sighed noticing the dim mood, "Come on, let's get you some food."

"Okay."

Clementine took a seat on the couch, only to frown as Molly handed her a can. "More fruit?"

"It's what we got, kid. Might as well get used to it." Molly said.

Clementine sighed, but nodded.

After the girl finished eating she let out another yawn.

"Tired?" Molly asked.

"Yeah…" Clementine nodded. "Can I sleep now?"

"Alright, kiddo." Molly said.

Molly motioned for Clementine to lay on the couch. The girl did so.

"Can I have a blanket?" Clementine asked gently.

"Yeah." Molly reached into the bag pulling out a blanket. "Here you go." Molly laid the blanket over the girl.

Clementine smiled. "Thanks…"

"Yep."

Clementine laid there, trying to fall asleep, but even with the blanket she was still cold. "Molly?"

"Yes?" Molly looked over to her.

"When are we leaving?" Clementine asked.

"We might as well stay the night." Molly replied.

"It's really cold." Clementine complained.

"I know…. I'll have to find you a jacket." Molly said.

"Okay."

"Now, get some sleep, kid." Molly said.

Clementine squeezed her eyes shut and tried to force sleep.

Eventually Molly heard the child's breathing become calm. Not too long later she decided to get some rest herself.

For some reason, she couldn't shake the melancholy feeling in her heart as she slowly shut her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Right before they left Molly made sure to do one final sweep of the house.

"How's that? You warm?" Molly asked the girl in front of her.

Clementine smiled. "Yeah." The child was now wearing a large sweater that Molly had found, over her regular outfit. It wasn't a jacket, but it was better than nothing.

"Good." Molly said. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah." Clementine replied, taking the woman's hand.

They stepped outside. Molly let out a sigh. She was somewhat happy to be leaving that suicide-scene house behind.

"Let's go." Molly said.

The child nodded and the two took off.

Molly figured she was doing well with Clementine so far. The girl was well fed, she was warm, and most importantly she was alive. Considering the circumstances, Molly had to pat herself on the back.

She made sure to keep the girl close to her. She wasn't going to risk the child wandering off.

* * *

After a long trek, they finally made it out of Savannah. It took several hours, considering they were on foot.

Clementine tried her best not to complain, but as it became colder she couldn't help it. "It's really freezing."

"I know you're cold, kid." Molly sighed. "I'm going to try to find you a coat." And some clean clothes. She had gotten the child cleaned up the best she could but the girl's clothes were still stained with blood and muck.

"Okay." Clementine said, shivering a bit.

Molly looked to the girl, "We can stop for a bit."

"We don't have to." Clementine shook her head. She didn't want to be a burden.

"It's only going to get colder." Molly replied.

"Okay… How long are we stopping?" Clementine asked.

"We might as well just stop for the night." Molly said.

Clementine frowned. "But it's not nighttime yet."

"I know."

"So why aren't we just taking a break?" Clementine asked in confusion.

"Well… If you're cold now, imagine how cold you'd be if we keep going. The later it gets the colder it becomes." Molly said. "If we stop now we can make a fire and get a meal cooking. I don't know about you, but I'm hungry."

Clementine gave an understanding nod. "Well, I am a little hungry." The child admits.

"I bet you're tired too." Molly said

Clementine shook her head. "Not too much. Maybe just a bit."

Molly shrugged in response. She knew Clementine was probably exhausted and putting on a tough act.

"What do you say?" Molly asked. "Do you want to stop?"

Clementine was surprised that Molly was giving her a choice. The only other person who seemed to care about her opinion was Lee. Everyone else just ignored her because she was a little kid.

Knowing Molly cared what she thought made Clementine feel happy.

"Umm…We can stop." The child said.

"Alright." Molly said.

And so they stopped. Molly built a fire and Clementine scooted close to the fire in order to get warm.

While the child warmed herself by the fire, Molly dug through her bag for a couple cans, opening them up with a knife. Molly took a seat beside the child before handing her a can.

"Eat up." She said.

"Thanks." Clementine said accepting the food and started to eat. Once she had finished, she placed the can down.

The girl soon felt tired, even more so than she had been. Not too long later, the child drifted off just as Molly had expected her to.

* * *

The next morning, they gathered which supplies they had. For the next few days they travelled to get further and further away from Savannah. Molly didn't know where they were going to go, but she knew Savannah wasn't safe. They still had a good amount of supplies, but Molly knew that it wouldn't be long before they started to run low. She would have to do some more scavenging soon.

Clementine was slowly, but surely getting used to life on the move. It was nothing like the motor inn. When they were at the motor inn she had nothing to worry about. Now they were constantly on the move, right after breakfast they were out and about.

Adventures looked so neat and exciting on the television, but living it was a completely different story. Clementine used to want to travel all over, but it's actually hard and scary.

"You okay?" Molly looked down to the girl.

"Yeah." Clementine said.

"Still tired?" Molly asked.

"No. I'm fine." Clementine said a little too quickly, but Molly didn't jump down her throat.

"Okay." Molly said. "Let's get moving."

Clementine nodded.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know." Molly said honestly.

"Really?" Clementine raised a brow.

"Yeah... You know, you never plan trips into details. You never know what might change." Molly said.

They only started walking twenty minutes ago, but Clementine was already getting a bit tired. However, she wasn't going to complain. She didn't want to be treated like a little kid.

"Okay..." Clementine replied. She sounded a bit nervous. She was worried that something bad would happen.

"Whatever happens I'll protect you." Molly said, picking up on the girl's suddenly nervousness. "And I won't leave you alone."

"Thank you..." Clementine said.

* * *

It took them about an hour to reach a parking lot.

They both looked around. Molly knew parking lots weren't the safest, but she imagined she could find quite a bit of supplies as she immediately noticed several abandoned cars in the parking lot. The area was relatively quiet. In fact, it was eerie quiet. After what seemed like an eternity little Clementine spoke, "We're at the zoo..." She said, pointing to a sign.

"Yeah..." Molly said. She wondered how many of the animals were still alive, if any. Molly remembered going to the zoo a couple times with her sister. Her sister, Maya, would get so excited to see the animals, the elephants were always her favorite. Molly on the other hand, prefer the lions.

"Molly?" Clementine called, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked, noting the woman's glum expression.

"Nothing Clem. Don't worry." Molly assured the child.

Molly looked at the cars. She could probably scavenge some supplies from them. She'd just have to be careful.

"Stay close." She said to Clementine.

"Okay..." Clementine said.

Molly started scavenging through car after car.

She kept her guard up, in case any geeks jumped out. Fortunately, there hadn't been too many geeks and she easily handled the few she came in contact with.

While she was distracted with scavenging, she hardly felt Clementine tugging on her sleeve.

"Can I help?" The child asked.

"I got it..." She didn't want the kid looking in the cars without her.

Clementine looked a bit disappointed at that. "Can I do anything?"

"Not now, kid..." Molly said.

Clementine released her sleeve and pouted.

The child let out a sigh, she wanted to help with something.

She looked to the sign again, spotting the zoo's entrance not far. She could go in there and get some supplies, right? They sold food at the zoo. Maybe there was still some left.

Clementine looked over to Molly, who was still busy searching through the truck of a car, before she made up her mind. The child headed in the direction of the entrance.

* * *

Molly continued to search through the cars. She was making good on finding supplies. She even managed to find some clothes for Clementine and a decent coat. It would definitely keep the child warm. With all the supplies they had gathered, they were now packed tight.

Through her searched, she didn't notice a creature slowly creeping up on her.

Molly was surprised, when she suddenly felt a hand grab her from behind. She quickly fought the creature off of her, shoving it backwards.

Her strong shove caused the geek to bump into a car, which to her horror, set an alarm up.

Molly decided they had to get out of there fast.

The woman quickly looked down, expected to see Clementine beside her, but the child was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

The smell was so strong. It took all the child's willpower not to throw up.

Clementine wrinkled her nose and started coughing.

It smelt horrible. Clementine covered her nose, not wanting to breath in the stench. Slowly, the child continued walking through the area. There were several bodies on the ground. Blood all over the place.

She noticed a couple walkers but she managed to avoid them. She read the signs, looking for the food area. She eventually navigated to the area, and to her disappointment found no food. There was a vending machine that had been tipped over, and Clementine wasn't strong enough to lift it back up.

She sighed, ready to return to Molly when she suddenly heard a noise from behind her. Clementine whipped around and her eyes grew wide. Panic quickly struck her.

* * *

Molly immediately broke out into a sprint, heading for the inside of the zoo. She hoped Clementine was inside, if not, she wouldn't know where to look.

Molly stopped for a moment. The stench was so strong. It was the smell of feces and rotting corpses.

It didn't seem like any of the animals in the enclosures had survived. Nor did the workers, some of which were tore apart by the hungry animals. She forced herself to keep going. She had to find Clementine. Who knew what would happen to the child.

Molly pushed herself through every geek that came her way, killing them without hesitation.

She moved quickly, hoping she would find Clementine before anything bad happened to the child.

* * *

Clementine felt her heart pounding as she looked into the large animal's eyes. Here she was, standing face to face with a lion.

She was terrified. The only thing running through her mind was she was going to die.

Somehow the animal had managed to sneak up on her. He was far too close for her to be able to shoot him. She didn't want to provoke him to attack her. Not like her body would respond to her anyway, she was frozen in fear.

* * *

With every second that passed Molly became more anxious. She could only imagine that Clementine was scared, surrounded by walkers.

The thought only made her pick up her pace.

Soon enough she found the little girl.

The child was backed into a corner but she wasn't alone.

Right in front of the girl stood a blood thirsty lion. It must have escape its enclosure somehow.

Clementine spotted Molly, locking eyes with the woman.

"Don't run." Molly mouthed.

As much as the woman didn't want to use her gun, she didn't have much of a choice, Clementine was trapped by a deadly animal.

Grabbing her weapon, she immediately shot the animal, twice.

The lion let out a yelp and fell.

Clementine stood still, shaking like a leaf.

Molly approached the child. "Are you hurt?"

"N-No..." Clementine stuttered fearfully.

Molly looked the trembling child over, searching for wounds. She found none. "What did I tell you about wandering off?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't think that there'd be animals here..." Clementine said, lowering her head.

"That doesn't matter Clem. You could've died." Molly replied, keeping her voice strict.

The nine-year-old started to whimper and whimpers turned into sobs.

Molly frowned. She didn't mean to make the child cry; however, she wasn't going to coddle her. Not this time. "Stop."

Clementine looked up, a bit surprised at the stern tone in which her new guardian spoke in.

"Don't cry." Molly said. "Don't start crying, because it's your fault."

"I'm s-sorry…" Clementine whimpered.

Molly nodded. She couldn't be nice to the child if she was going to put herself in danger. Molly needed the girl to listen to her. "You should be. You need to listen to me from now on."

"Okay..." Clementine said with a sniffled. She managed to hold back tears, not wanting to disappoint Molly further. She wiped the tears that had escaped from her cheeks.

"Good. Now let's get the fuck out of here." Molly said. Those gunshots would probably draw geeks.

"Swear..." Clementine mumbled.

Molly rolled her eyes, offering the child her hand.

* * *

"It smells horrible…" Clementine commented.

"Yeah...I know. Come on...We gotta keep moving." Molly tugged the child forward.

They got closer and closer to the exit of the zoo, when a noise reached Molly's ear. A loud, blaring noise. The alarm. It was still going off. With all that was going on Molly had forgotten about it. She had wondered why the geeks hadn't paid attention to the gunshot sounds. They were out in the parking lot. Molly was sure that damned alarm would attract every geek within a mile.

Clementine once again froze in fear as she noticed all the walkers roaming in the parking lot. There was no way they could just walk pass them.

"Come on." Molly said. "Don't worry."

Clementine swallowed, but did as the woman said.

Molly checked her pistol, making sure it was loaded, then felt for the clips in her pocket. She was going to make sure to protect Clementine with her life.

Molly held the child's hand, looking for an escape route. "Get in." She pointed to a nearby car.

"W-What?" Clementine stammered.

"Get in." Molly repeated.

"That?" The girl raised a brow.

"We don't have anything else." Molly replied.

Molly tossed the supplies she had in the back before she climbed into the car as Clementine clamored into the passenger seat. Molly was glad when she found the key, under the seat.

She shoved the key into the ignition. With a frantic pumping of the accelerator, the car engine roared to lift.

The vehicle burst through the parking lot, and away from the undead creatures who tried in vain to catch up.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Molly had never thought taking care of Clementine would be so hard. She would definitely make sure to keep a closer eye on the girl from now on. She didn't want her wandering off.

Molly glanced to the backseat to see the child was just starting to stir. They had been driving for about an hour and the young girl had fallen asleep about twenty minutes into the ride. Molly had been hoping she would sleep a little longer.

"Molly?" The child called in a half-asleep voice.

Molly held back a sigh, "Hey… How'd you sleep?"

"Okay." Clementine said, rubbing sleep out of her eyes. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know yet, kid." Molly said.

"Oh…" Clementine replied.

"Yeah. Try to sleep some more, Clem." Molly said to the girl.

"Okay." The child rested her body in the seat. Closing her eyes, she went back to sleep. Molly continued to drive in silence.

* * *

They were developing a schedule. Wake up, eat, and start moving again. Molly was glad to have a vehicle for the time being, however, she knew it wouldn't be long before it ran out of gas. Molly quickly glanced over to the gas meter and let out a sigh; it was nearly empty. She knew they'd be walking soon.

"Damn it…" Molly swore.

Clementine frowned at the naughty word. "What's wrong?"

"We're almost out of gas." Molly explained.

"Can't we find some more?" Clementine asked.

"That's probably a shot in the dark." Molly said.

"Oh…" Clementine said soberly.

"Well, we'll be on foot tomorrow, but for now let's take a break." Molly stated. "We'll get you some food and call it a night."

"Okay." Clementine said.

The two stopped and Molly looked through their supply bag. They were doing well with all the supplies they had on them, for now, but Molly knew they could go through fast.

Molly used her knife to open up a can, offering the food to the child who accepted it.

"Thank you." Clementine said.

"No problem." Molly responded, working on opening another can.

Once she had opened the can, the two started to eat in silence.

"You know what… I'm going to teach you how to hunt." Molly suddenly said.

"What?"

Molly simply repeated herself, "I'm going to teach you how to hunt."

"I… R-Really?" Clementine stammered in surprise.

"Yep." Molly said.

"You mean like hunting animals?" Clementine asked, eyes wide.

"Exactly." Molly confirmed.

Clementine looked down with a frown, "I don't want to hurt any animals."

"Well, you don't have much of a choice, Clem." Molly said. "This is what we have to do now."

Clementine lowered her head even more and started to whimper a bit.

Molly sighed, "Clementine… Stop it."

The child didn't stop. Instead, she began to cry.

Molly sat there for a moment, awkwardly watching the girl cry and not knowing what to do. She had to calm the child down, she didn't want any unnecessary attention. "It's alright, Clem…" Molly said in a gentle voice.

The child continued to cry. Molly slowly moved closer to the girl, wrapping an arm around her. "Shh… It's okay, Clem. Don't cry…"

"I don't want to hurt any animals." Clementine sobbed.

"Okay… You won't have to." Molly said quickly, wanting the child to stop crying. "Just calm down."

"P-Promise?" Clementine asked.

"I promise." Molly said. She would hold off on the hunting lesson for now. She had a lot to teach the child but the girl clearly wasn't emotionally prepared to handle certain things at the moment. She'd wait a few days…

* * *

After two days Molly decided it was time for Clementine to learn to hunt. It was now or never. She knew the child didn't want to, but she needed to know how to take care of herself and once she knew how to hunt Molly could check that one thing off her list of things to learn.

"Alright, Clem… I hope you're ready." Molly said to the young girl.

Clementine raised a brow at the woman who was holding her hand. "For what?"

"To learn how to hunt." Molly answered.

Clementine's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head. "No…"

"Come on, Clem…" Molly said. "This is how the world works now. You need to learn this."

"B-But… But I don't want to." Clementine whined. "You said I didn't have to."

"I know kid… But if you don't learn, you'll die." Molly said. She knew it was harsh, but it was the truth.

Clementine gasped at that.

"We're going to run out of food eventually… And if we get separated… well, you need to know how to take care of yourself." Molly told the girl.

"O-Okay…" Clementine said reluctantly.

"Alright… Good." Molly said, still walking forward.

"W-What do we do first?" Clementine questioned.

"We'll start with something easy." Molly said.

Clementine frowned, "This isn't going to be easy…" She argued.

"It will be sooner or later." Molly replied.

Clementine shook her head. "I doubt it."

Molly didn't offer a response.

Clementine started to speak, "What should I-"

Molly suddenly stopped walking, putting a hand out in front of the girl to stop her. She raised her other hand and point upwards. "There."

"What?" Clementine asked.

"In the tree." Molly simply said.

Clementine followed her finger, gaze falling on a lone bird that was sat on a tree branch. Clementine gulped.

Molly released the child's hand. Grabbing her gun, she held it in front of Clementine. "Here."

Clementine frowned, her little body starting to tremble at the thought of shooting that poor bird.

"Go on, take it." Molly urged her to take the gun.

Clementine swallowed a lump in her throat before accepting the weapon into her unsteady little hands. "N-Now w-what?" She stammered. She knew what the woman wanted her to do, but she didn't want to do it.

"Shoot it." Molly said.

Clementine felt her heart drop. She shakily raised the gun up, aiming towards the bird. She couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

"Go ahead, Clem." Molly said.

Clementine moved her fingers to the trigger, her body shaking even more.

"Clementine…?" Molly called.

"I can't do it!" Clementine cried, lowering the gun.

Molly sighed, taking the weapon from the weeping child's hands. They'd just have to try again tomorrow.

* * *

The next day they made a similar routine, Clementine knew immediately that Molly was expecting her to make a shot today. The child still didn't want to. The bird was back again, much to their surprise, Clementine assume it must have been familiar with the tree to want to stay there. She was trembling again as the woman handed her the gun.

Molly gave a nod, saying nothing else.

Clementine knew what Molly want hinting for her to do. She raised the gun, heart pounding. Her fingers trembled and sweat dripped down her temple until finally, she pulled the trigger. The first shot was a clean miss.

"Try again." Molly ordered.

Clementine swallowed and pulled the trigger one more, missing again.

"Again." Molly said.

Clementine hesitated. Before she could pull the trigger for a third time the bird took off."

"It got away." The child said.

"That's what you wanted to happen." Molly said knowingly.

"...Yeah." Clementine admit.

Molly took the gun, "We'll try again tomorrow."

Clementine sighed but nodded.

"Come on, let's get some food." Molly said, offering the girl her hand.

Clementine nodded, taking the woman's hand.

* * *

For the next few days, Molly would take Clementine back to the tree, where they would find the bird on the branch as if waiting for their arrival. Molly would hand Clementine the gun and the child would miss each shot she fired.

Molly was frustrated, but she couldn't be angry at the girl. She was still learning.

"Alright, we're done. We still have to conserve ammo." Molly said. She would only let Clementine have three shots a day and it seemed the bird knew that because after about three shots the bird would fly away.

They made sure to camp a bit away from their practice spot, just in case the sound drew walkers.

Clementine found herself feeling curious on why the bird continued to return. And so, early in the morning, while Molly was still asleep, her childish curiosity led her to make her way to their training spot and up the tree.

She was surprised to find tiny little eggs inside a nest. The girl carefully made her way down from the tree and back to her and Molly's campsite.

Molly had woken up by time the girl had arrived and immediately scolded the child. Clementine however, seemed eager to show her something.

Seeing the child's excitement, Molly couldn't refuse. She allowed the nine-year-old to take her hand and lead her to their training spot.

Clementine pointed toward the tree. "There's baby birds up there."

"What?"

"They're still in the eggs. There's three of them." Clementine explained.

"How do you know?" Molly asked the girl.

"I saw." Clementine said.

"You climbed up there?" Molly questioned.

Clementine nodded.

"That's dangerous, Clem." Molly said.

"I… I know… I just wanted to know why the bird kept coming back."

Molly was curious as well. The woman effortlessly made her way up the branches and saw the child was telling the truth. There were baby birds in the tree.

Molly carefully climbed down, "Well, I'll be damned."

"Swear." Clementine said.

"Get over it." Molly rolled her eyes before giving the child a playful grin.

"I don't have to shoot it, do I?" Clementine asked.

Molly paused, "…I'll think about it."

Clementine pouted at that. Molly gave her a pat on the head.

"Come on, let's get you some breakfast." Molly said.

"Okay…" Clementine said.

* * *

"Do I have to hold the gun?" Clementine complained.

"Just in case... We never know what might happen." Molly said.

"Okay..." Clementine said.

After breakfast Clementine had begged to go see if the mama bird had returned. Molly agreed. The two went to the spot but, upon arriving they noticed the bird was nowhere to be seen.

Clementine looked around, confusion written on her face.

Out of the quiet, they suddenly heard a rustling in the leaves. Molly was quickly put on guard.

"Stay quiet and don't move." Molly said in a stern voice to Clementine, who nodded.

Molly peered around the tree and scanned the area, seeing nothing.

Again they heard the rustling coming closer, Molly focused on the sound just in time to notice a fox coming out of the thicket, she quickly noticed it was carrying something in its mouth.

Clementine noticed the fox as well, her eyes grew wide as she noticed what was in the animal's mouth. It was a bird… The mama bird.

Anger and pain coursed through her.

She raised the gun with shaking hands and the world around her had suddenly stopped. She didn't hear anything; it wasn't until the fox had hit the ground that she realized she had shot it.

Molly looked to the girl in surprise.

Clementine was panting, as she calmed down a bit. "I… I shot it."

"Yeah, you did." Molly said.

"I didn't want to kill it." Clementine whimpered, eyes filling with tears.

"I know…" Molly walked toward the child and pulled her into a hug, taking the weapon from her. "It's alright, Clem. You did good."

"W-What's going to happen to the baby birds?" Clementine asked.

Molly couldn't lie to the girl, but she couldn't say exactly what she was thinking either so instead she muttered, "I don't know, Clem. I don't know."

* * *

Molly brought the fox back to their camp, despite Clementine's weak protest.

"W-What are you going to do with it?" Clementine asked.

"Cook it." Molly replied.

Clementine didn't say anything, she moved a bit away, quietly crying to herself.

Molly didn't know what to do. She just continued to focus on the fox, skinning it and doing what she needed to in order to make it consumable.

Clementine hadn't stopped crying, not even when Molly had started to cook the animal.

Molly felt bad for the child, but she knew that hunting was important for survival; Clementine would understand sooner or later.

Eventually the child had ended up crying herself to sleep.

* * *

Morning came and Clementine awoke with a moan. She sat up and spotted Molly, sitting by the fire.

"Hey there, kiddo." Molly said.

"Hey." Clementine said.

"You hungry?" Molly asked her.

"Y-Yeah." Clementine confirmed.

Molly offered the child some food which happened to be some fox meat, Clementine realized that, but she didn't complain she did however look a bit confused when she noticed eggs on the side of her plate.

Clementine ate the food, making a face as she tried one of the eggs. It had been so long since she had eggs, she wondered where Molly had gotten them from.

"It taste weird..." Clementine mumbled.

"Don't be picky kid." Molly said.

"Okay..." Clementine nodded.

"Hurry up and eat." Molly said. "We're going to get moving when you're done."

* * *

They left the area after that, Molly thought about holding off on the hunting again, but Clementine told her she was ready. She wanted to learn how to survive and Molly agreed.

Molly spent the next two weeks teaching the girl how to stay quiet as not to startled her catch, and soon enough Clementine was able to sneak up on an animal and pull the trigger without hesitation.

"You're a pretty fast learner, kid." Molly commented.

"Thanks." Clementine smiled.

"Yeah. But don't get cocky. You're not the badest cat in the alley yet." Molly said.

Clementine looked puzzled, "What?"

"You still have more to learn." Molly said.

"I do?" Clementine asked.

"You need to learn the most important things..." Molly told her.

"Like what?" Clementine wondered.

"Well… for one… I'm going to teach you how to protect yourself." Molly explained.

"But you can protect me." Clementine argued.

Molly shook her head. "And what happens if I can't be there to hide you? You need to learn this." Molly said. "I'm going to teach you how to fight and well...stuff."

"Stuff?" Clementine repeated. "What more am I going to learn?"

"Only what you need to learn." Molly replied. "You'll might be surprised by how much you already know. All I'm going to do is teach you skills you need to survive."

"Okay." Clementine nodded. "What's our next lesson?"

Molly motioned towards a nearby river, "Fishing."

"Okay. That's easy." Clementine claimed.

"Is that so?" Molly asked. "What do you do then?"

"Use a fishing rod." Clementine said.

"Do we have a fishing rod?" Molly asked the child.

"Umm... No." Clementine frowned.

"Right..." Molly nodded.

"What do we do then?" Clementine inquired.

Molly smirked, "We're going to make a rod, from scratch."

Clementine furrowed her brows at that causing Molly to chuckle. The kid had a lot to learn.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Clementine had been fishing a time or two with her dad… She missed it. She missed her parents. She missed normalcy.

"Clem… Clementine?" Molly called.

The child was startled out of her thoughts. "Huh?"

"Pay attention. I was talking to you." Molly said.

"Sorry…" The child replied.

"It's alright." Molly shrugged. "Like I was saying, tie the twine around the stick."

Clementine followed the woman's instruction with a bit of trouble. "Like this?"

"Yeah." Molly said. "If you don't have rope and you need to fish you can use other things too."

"Like what?"

"Well… A shoelace for instance." Molly said.

Clementine frowned, glancing down at her own shoes. "Would that really work?"

"Yeah. Sometimes you got to improvise." Molly told the girl.

"I think we do a lot of improvising nowadays." Clementine commented.

"That's definitely true…" Molly said. "Here, let me see your rod."

Clementine allowed the woman to look over her make shift fishing rod.

"Not bad, kid." Molly said. "You're a quick learner."

Clementine smiled, "Thanks."

"No problem." Molly said.

Clementine watched as Molly picked up an object off the ground. It was a paper clip. "What's that for?"

"It's our hook." Molly responded.

"A paper clip?" Clementine asked, furrowing her brows.

"Yep." Molly tied the twine to the paper clip, before bending the paper clip so it was shaped as a hook.

"Oh, wow!" Clementine grinned. "That's a really good idea."

"Thanks, kid." Molly handed her the rod back.

Clementine smiled, examining the makeshift rod. The child paused for a moment, "What about bait?"

"That's easy." Molly motioned towards the ground.

"What?" Clementine asked in confusion.

"We're going to dig up some worms." Molly said.

* * *

The two started digging. Clementine wanted to find a worm, but no matter how much she kept digging, she didn't find a single worm.

"This is stupid." Clementine suddenly huffed.

"No, it's not." Molly said. "This is survival."

"Well, it sucks." Clementine replied.

"You'll get used to it eventually." Molly said.

"I doubt it." Clementine sighed.

Molly continued her digging while Clementine sulked for a bit.

After a few moments, Molly had managed to find a couple worms.

"You try to find some, then we'll start hooking some trout." Molly said.

"Okay…" Clementine said with the frown. The girl started to once again dig in the dirt. After several moments she finally found a worm. "I found one!" The little child squealed in excitement.

Molly chuckled, "Keep it down, kiddo."

"Sorry…" Clementine lowered her voice.

"Good job." Molly praised causing the child to smile.

"Now let's start fishing." Molly said.

* * *

"I caught something!" Clementine exclaimed as she felt something tug on her line.

Molly let out a small chuckle. "Alright kiddo, keep it down or you'll scare the fish away."

They had been at it for a while now. Molly had been patient with Clementine all day, as she taught the child how to fish.

"Reel it in like I taught you…" Molly said to the girl.

Clementine tried, but was having trouble. "H-Help." The girl said, thrusting the rod towards Molly.

"Nope, you're going to do this on your own." Molly said.

"But what if I let it go again?" Clementine asked, sounding worried.

"Then you let it go." Molly shrugged. They had managed to catch a couple fish. Well… Molly had managed to catch a couple fish. It was quite an accomplishment for young Clementine despite letting three fish go.

The first fish she let go was on purpose. Molly had reeled it in and then commented about how delicious the fish was going to be and Clementine started to fret over killing the creature.

Molly told the girl to calm down, but Clementine refused to, telling her to let the fish go back.

Once Molly had the fish in her hands, she made the mistake of handing it to Clementine, who let it loose.

Molly huffed, and scolded the child. Reminding her that they couldn't just go buy groceries anymore.

Clementine pouted for about fifteen minutes after that before Molly offered her the fishing rod.

Clementine happily accepted it.

Now the girl was worried. She didn't want to lose this fish too. She didn't want Molly to get angry at her.

"Come on, Clementine." Molly said. "Just focus."

Clementine gulped nervously, but nodded.

She started to tug the fishing rod, pulling the fish in. It was a struggle, to do so. Clementine glance at Molly who just gave her an encouraging smile.

"You're doing good." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and continued to pull the rod. Before long, she had managed to reel in a large bass.

"Nice catch, kiddo!" Molly said, surprised by the size of the fish.

"Thanks, Molly." Clementine said.

"Let's get these fished cooked up." Molly said, picking up the fish.

"Do we have to?" Clementine frowned. When she used to go fishing with her dad, he would always let her release the fish back. Clementine knew things weren't simple anymore, food was hard to by.

"Clementine, you already know the answer…" Molly said.

The little girl sighed, and trudged alongside the woman.

* * *

Molly led her a bit away from the river. The woman placed the fish down and started up a fire.

"Alright, I'm going to show you how to do this." Molly said.

Clementine shook her head. "I don't want to watch."

"You have to, Clem." Molly replied. "You need to learn."

"Okay…" The girl said with a frown.

Molly frowned as well, she felt slightly bad for the child, but Clementine needed to know how to cook, in order to survive. If something were to happen to Molly, it was important for the little girl to know how to take care of herself.

Molly pick the fish, which was still giving a slight struggle as it clung to life. Picking up a rock, Molly used it to deliver a hard hit the fish's head.

Clementine cringed, covering her eyes. The tiny child dared peek out again to see what Molly would do next to the now dead fish.

With a knife, Molly began cleaning the fish- a job which she had hated before... Holding the fish with one hand, she raked off the scales with some quick strokes of the knife.

She put the knife down and took the head, broke the backbone and pulled the head and entrails free with a strong yank.

Clementine slouched a bit, a sad look in her eyes. She didn't want to see this.

Molly didn't pay the child any mind, she just continued to gut the fish. Molly then cooked it, Clementine didn't say a word to her for the rest of the night.

* * *

The next day, Molly and Clementine got cleaned up in the river.

After that, Molly taught Clementine how to spear fish, which proved to be a tiring task.

The child of course, didn't want to kill the fish, but Molly refused to leave the river until Clementine caught at least one. Molly knew she was being strict, but she wanted Clementine to learn.

When Clementine finally caught a fish, they returned to camp. When they arrived back at camp, Clementine was so tired, she could barely keep her eyes open.

* * *

By the time they left the area, Clementine could clean and cook fish. Molly also taught her how to find edible plants and berries.

Molly was proud of the child. The little girl was a fast learner.

Molly was glad that she was able to teach the girl so much… Maybe she was an okay guardian afterall.

Sure, she'd never compare to Lee, and she had no clue how to deal with kids, but at least Clementine was still alive and kicking. That had to count for something.

* * *

The area was quiet until, suddenly a gunshot rang out.

A rabbit hit the ground, having been shot.

"You've gotten good at that." Molly commented.

Clementine was happy to hear that. "I'm glad. It was hard at first." She still felt somewhat sad killing those poor animals, but she knew it was necessary to survive.

"I know, but you've come a long way." Molly said.

It was true. Clementine was becoming a splendid hunter and fisher.

"I got something for you." Molly told the child.

"What is it?" Clementine asked.

Molly reached into her pocket, pulling out a knife. "This is yours..."

"Really?" Clementine smiled accepting the blade.

"Yeah. Use it to protect yourself." Molly said.

"Okay. Thanks, Molly." Clementine said.

"Don't mention it..." Molly said. "Now... I want you to attack me."

Clementine was taken aback by those words, "What?

"Come at me." Molly said. "Go on."

Clementine looked to the ground, "Do I have to... I don't want to hurt you."

"You won't..." Molly said.

"I don't want to attack you... Why are you making me do this?" Clementine asked.

"You know how to protect yourself with a gun, now you need to know how to do so with a knife." Molly said.

Clementine sighed, "Alright..."

* * *

Clementine wanted to show Molly that she was capable of taking care of herself, but it wasn't easy.  
The child took a moment to catch her breath, a frown on her lips as Molly sighed.

"Nobody should ever be able to knock your weapon from your hand." Molly said, she adjusted the child's hold on the weapon. "Hold it like this."

Clementine nodded. "Okay."

"I want you to come at me." Molly said.

Clementine groaned, "I'm tired, can't we take a break?"

Molly didn't say anything for a moment before nodding, "Alright."

"Why do we have to do this?" Clementine asked.

"Because not everyone is nice. There are some bad people out there. People who might want to hurt you.

"But why?" Clementine asked. "What did I do?"

"Nothing. You did nothing wrong..." Molly said. "Some people are just evil."

Clementine frowned. "I wish people could be nicer..."

Molly didn't reply. This was how the world was now... Clementine needed to get used to it.

"Let's get you some food." Molly said, changing the subject.

"Okay, Molly..." Clementine agreed.

* * *

Molly continued to make the child train day after day. Clementine didn't like it. The little girl just wished everything could be peaceful. But Molly needed the child to know how to protect herself, and sooner was better than later.

"Come at me." Molly ordered.

Clementine lunged at the woman, but was quickly restrained.

"You gotta do better than that." Molly said.

Clementine broke from Molly's grasp, switching the blade to her free hand.

"Ouch!" Molly suddenly uttered.

"I'm sorry!" Clementine cried, dropping the knife. "I hurt you… I so sorry…"

"It's alright, it was just a prick…" Molly said. "Which means you're getting better."

"Really?" Clementine asked.

"Really." Molly said. "Now you need to learn how to actually avoid being grabbed, and what to do if you are grabbed."

"Okay…" Clementine replied.

"Enough with the knife for now. I think you know how to use it pretty well." Molly said. "Are you tired?"

"Not really…" Clementine said honestly.

"Good. We're going to practice breaking from grapples." Molly said.

* * *

As the weeks went on Molly taught Clementine everything she could think to teach the child. From cooking to self-defense. She made sure Clementine knew it all. She wanted to mold the girl to be a survivor.

Clementine liked being able to protect herself it made her feel safer. She was also happy that Molly was proud of her.

Clementine felt strong, brave. At least, until it got dark. Like most children, Clementine was frightened by the darkness. It was unknowable, hazardous. She never knew what was waiting in the darkness.

So of course, when Clementine woke up in the middle of the night she was scared. She was even more terrified when she found Molly was nowhere to be seen. Her first instance was to panic, she tried to remain calm, patiently waiting for Molly to return.

Moments passed by and Clementine decided to go look for her guardian. As she walked through the darkness, she jumped at every little sound she heard.

Fear clutched her, she didn't know what to do. Holding one of their flashlights, she walked on, in search of her guardian.

The nine-year-old swore she heard someone behind her, but she didn't turn around. She was too nervous to.

She picked up her pace, a shiver snaking down her spine.

"Molly?!" She called.

There was no response.

Scared, the child broke into a run. Whoever was following her, ran after her.

Clementine yelped as she tripped. She quickly scrambled to her feet only for someone to grab her.

She thought it was a walker, but when she shined her light at them they shielded their eyes. It only took Clementine a second to register that this person was an unknown man.

She took the opportunity to break from the man's grip, giving him a firm kick in the balls, like Molly had told her to do if she was grabbed by a guy.

The man immediately released her and Clementine broke into a run, wondering where Molly was and if she was okay.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

When Molly returned to camp, she expected to find Clementine fast asleep. However, she was startled when she found a low campfire, keeping only empty blankets warm.

At first she could not believe the child was gone. She didn't panic. Calmly, she searched the darkened area for the little girl, looking anywhere she could possibly think, even the most unlikely places.

When she didn't find Clementine, she searched again and again. By now panic had set in.

Panic was swiveling madly through her head, a tightness in her throat.

Where is she? Where is she? The words echoed in her head as she looked for the young girl.

Moments flew by before Molly suddenly heard someone call her name.

Without delay, Molly raced from the campsite, towards the sound of the yell, in the dark of night.

She headed deeper into the woods, hearing a yell of her name once more in the distance.

* * *

Clementine didn't dare look behind her. She was scared that she would lose her footing on the uneven terrain. She could hear the leaves and grass crunch under her little feet as she ran.

Her heart thundered in her ears and her breathing drowned out every sound as she picked up her pace, desperate to lose her pursuer.

A large tree came in her sight. Clementine bounded over to the tree.

She quickly hid herself behind a tree.

Her ears trained for the slightest sound. She hoped she lost the stranger who had been chasing her.

Stealing a glance behind her, she didn't see the man.

Heart pounding, the girl decided to head back to her camp. She tripped over a log, falling to her knees.

Clementine quickly gained her feet, but just as she stood a stick snapped behind her.

Before the child had the chance to turn around, a hand anchored itself around her arm. She found herself being restrained.

"Let me go!" She screamed.

She kicked and punched wherever she could.

"Let go!" She cried out. Her little fist collided with the man's cheek.

"Shit..." The man swore, shaking her a bit. "Stop fighting!" He growled.

Clementine struggled more, elbowing the man in the ribs. Hard.

The man cursed, shoving the child hard and sending her to the ground.

He pinned her down. Clementine whimpered in fear, struggling to get free.

"Let me go!" Clementine ordered.

The man chuckled. "Or what?"

Fear filled the child before she remembered the knife…

* * *

Molly didn't slow her run, in fact she only picked up the pace as she heard a voice yell out, "Let me go!"

She knew it was Clementine. The child was obviously in trouble.

Molly only hoped she would get to the little girl in time. She would never forgive herself if anything happened the Clementine.

Molly swore under her breath, heading in the direction of the yells.

* * *

Clementine fumbled with the weapon in her pocket. With an enormous effort, Clementine managed to reach into her pocket and quickly draw the knife Molly had given her.

She could feel the man's cold hands grabbing at her clothing. With the knife in her little hand, Clementine took the chance and stabbed the man deeply, right in the shoulder

He cried in pain and loosened his grip on the child. "You're going to pay for that."  
He yanked the blade from his shoulder and held it to the child's neck. Before he could do anything more, a gunshot rang out and he fell limp.

Clementine didn't move from her spot on the ground. The man's limp body was forced off her small figure, but the girl didn't react.

After a moment, panic sunk in, and Clementine scrambled to her feet, grabbing her fallen knife.

"It's alright. It's me." Molly reached out to the child.

Clementine's heart was hammering in her chest. The girl was covered in blood and dirt, her eyes wide and expressionless.

Molly approached the young girl who was clearly in shock and pulled the small child into a hug.

* * *

"Are you hurt?" Molly asked the child as they arrived back at camp. The woman was slightly surprised to find their camp the same way they had left it.

Using a rag, wet with water from a water bottle, Molly cleaned the blood from Clementine's face. The child still seemed to be in shock. Molly was worried.

Clementine didn't utter a word.

Molly sighed. She had checked the child for wounds, but in the darkness it was hard to tell the child exact condition. "Clementine…"

"Hmm?" The child finally responded.

"Are you hurt?" Molly asked the girl again.

Clementine shook her head. "No…" She sniffled.

"What's wrong?" Molly asked.

"I'm sorry…" Clementine said. "I wasn't trying to wander off… I was scared. I didn't know where you were."

"I know, Clem." Molly said. "I shouldn't have left you. I'm sorry…"

Clementine whimpered, moving closer to the woman.

Molly wrapped in arm around the trembling child. "It's okay, kiddo."

Clementine was terrified. She had no idea who that man was or what he planned to do to her, but she was scared.

Molly rubbed the child's back, comforting the young girl. Eventually the nine-year-old drifted off.

Molly made sure to keep the girl close. After being sure the child was asleep, she went to bed herself.

* * *

The weather became much colder and as each day passed, their meals became less plentiful. By mid-December supplies were starting to run low

The colder it become the more Molly worried about when it started snowing. They didn't have enough supplies necessary to hold up in a snow storm. She'd have to go supply hunting again soon.

Even now as they walked, Molly could feel the bitter cold on her skin. She just hoped they would find shelter before it got too cold.

Molly noticed Clementine's little body shivering.

"You okay, kiddo?" Molly asked the girl.

"It's cold…" Clementine replied.

"I know… We'll find someplace warm soon…" Molly said.

"Okay…" Clementine muttered.

Molly didn't know how soon, soon would actually be.

Fortunately, they managed to stumble upon a log cabin only a day later. It was just their luck because only hours after they had arrived, it started snowing.

"What do you think?" Molly asked as Clementine looked around the little cabin.

"It's nice." Clementine said. "I like it."

"Yeah." Molly said. "So do I."

"Are we staying here." Clementine questioned.

"For a little while." Molly replied. "At least until the weather gets better."

"Okay…" Clementine said.

"Well… We might as well get comfy." Molly said. "You hungry?"

"Yes…" Clementine said.

"How about something warm for a change." Molly suggested.

Clementine nodded. She was tired of eating canned fruit and cold beans. They hadn't had time to settle down and cook a meal. Hunting was becoming harder because of the cold, and Molly had wanted to find shelter as quickly as possible so they were continuously on the move.

"Soup alright?" Molly asked.

"Yeah." Clementine said.

Using some wood, Molly lit up the nearby fireplace. She used the heat from the fire to cook the soup.

Once the food was done she placed it in two bowls she had found in the kitchen of the cabin. She handed one to the child along with a spoon.

Clementine was happy to have a hot meal for once. As she sipped on the soup, she was reminded of time when she would have a cold. Her parents would always prepared chicken noddle soup for her… She missed them so much…

Molly noticed the child's glum expression. "You okay?" She questioned.

Clementine quickly nodded. She didn't want to worry the woman. It was time for her to grow up. She needed to stop acting like a little kid.

"You sure?" Molly asked.

"Yes." Clementine said.

"Alright..." Molly continued her meal. "I'm exhausted."

"Me too…" Clementine admit.

"I bet." Molly said. "It's pretty cozy in here." The heat from the fireplace only made it better. They took advantage of the fireplace.

"Yeah, it really is nice." Clementine said.

After they finished their meal, Molly leaned back onto the couch, "Let's get some sleep."

"Okay." Clementine said. Climbing on the couch, the little girl laid down as well.

"Night, Clem." Molly said.

"Goodnight, Molly." Clementine replied.

* * *

Sometime in the middle of the night Clementine had woke. She was a bit startled to hear noise from a bit away from her. However, she calmed as her eyes took in Molly's figure.

The woman was rummaging through their supplies. Molly had a frown on her face and seemed, distressed about something.

Clementine wanted to ask what was wrong, but she knew the woman would not have told her.

The child decided to close her eyes, and pretend she was still asleep.

"This isn't good..." Molly said. "There's no way we're going to make it through the winter with just this..."

Clementine frowned. She knew they had been running low on supplies, but she didn't think it was that bad. She wanted to help. There had to be something she could do…

"Damn it!" Molly huffed, closing the bag.

Clementine quickly rolled over, keeping her eyes shut as Molly made her way back to the couch to lay down.

"Clem?" Molly called gently. "You awake."

Clementine didn't respond.

Not to long later, Molly seemed to have fallen asleep.

"Molly?" Clementine tried.

No answered.

Clementine looked to the woman.

Molly's eyebrows were drawn together. She seemed stressed out, even in her sleep.

Clementine made up her mind. She'd find some supplies first thing tomorrow. Molly would be proud of her… Right?

* * *

When the next morning came, Molly woke at day-break. She forced herself from the couch. She was slightly tired, considering she had gone to bed late, but she preferred to get this day moving early.

Molly glanced outside the window, noticing the snow on the ground. She hoped that the weather would turn warmer before the full brunt of winter kicked in. Otherwise, they would be trapped at the cabin for a while.

It wasn't a completely bad thing. The cabin was okay. It was better than being trapped outside, but Molly would rather keep moving for as long as they could. Staying in one spot for too long wasn't a good idea.

Molly made some food for Clementine and herself.

Once she was done making the food, she woke the little girl up.

"It's morning already?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah." Molly said. "I made you some breakfast…"

"Thank you." Clementine said.

"Yep…" Molly muttered.

"Are you okay?" Clementine asked her guardian.

"I'm fine…" Molly said. "Eat your food."

The two ate their breakfast in silence. After a few moments Molly spoke, "I'm going out, I want you to stay here."

Clementine was surprised. "What?"

"I want you to stay here." Molly said. "Got it."

"Why?" Clementine asked. "I can help."

"Not happening. You'll stay here where it's safe." Molly said.

"You taught me how to survive… Why can't I go with you?" Clementine asked.

"Because… I want you to stay here." Molly said.

Clementine pouted.

"Do you understand me?" Molly asked in a firm tone.

Clementine was silent for a moment.

"Do you?" Molly asked again.

"Yes…" Clementine answered.

"Good…" Molly said.

* * *

After Molly had left Clementine looked through their supplies. There really wasn't much left.

Clementine closed the bag. She had to do something to help. She picked up the bag and walked to the cabin's bedroom. She shoved the bag under the bed. That way the supplies would be safe if anyone showed up at the cabin.

Clementine walked back into the living room. Slipping her jacket on, she opened the front door.

The snow was close to her knees. Clementine's little feet sank into the soft snow easily. Each step she took felt heavy.

The wind was blowing with a roar. Clementine ignored the chill that the cold air sent through her.

* * *

Molly walked through the crunchy, cold snow.

Wind was blowing hard, and snow fell from the sky.

Molly continued her brisk walk, through the snowy woods.

About half an hour later, Molly came to a small clearing. A one-room shack met her eyes.

Molly hesitantly approached the shack, holding Hilda close to her. She didn't know what was inside, but she was about to find out.

Touching the door of the shack, she was surprised when it swung open.

Her eyes widened at what she saw.

Two bodies. Both laid on the ground. Blood on the wall, floor.

Molly tried her best not to vomit at the almost unbearable smell of blood.

Something else, however, grabbed the woman's attention. There were shelves for storage. Most of it was depleted now, but some still remained.

Molly moved around the bodies and started to gather the supplies. As she picked the objects off the shelf, her foot hit something, nearly tripping her.

She looked down and noticed a blood soaked bag.

Pausing for a moment, she eyed the bag before kneeling down and opening it. It was filled with cans, and water.

Molly was beyond shocked. These people had enough supplies to keep them going for at least a week or two.

Molly placed the objects from the shelf into the bag.

It felt awkward, with the owners of the bag being so close to her. It almost felt as if she was stealing, but she knew the two people had no use for this stuff anymore.

After she finished packing up the supplies she left the bloody shack. However, when she got outside the wind was blowing hard and the snow was falling fiercely.

It was hard to see through the harsh snow.

Molly decided it was time to call off the supply hunt. They had enough supplies that they could last through the storm. It was time to head back to the cabin and wait it out. Molly would go back out once the weather had calmed down.

* * *

Clementine used her sleeve to wipe her running nose.

Her little body shivered in the cold, but Clementine pressed on. She wanted to show that she could help. She could find supplies.

As Clementine walked further through the woods she was starting to worry about getting lost.

And then, the child became worried she would freeze to death. The snow was only rising.

Clementine decided she should turn back. She decided to retrace her steps, but found that her tracks had been covered by the fresh snow.

Frantically, she searched for her footprints, but couldn't find them. Finally giving up in frustration, she started walking again.

Walking as fast as her tired state and the snow would allow, she wondered if she was heading in the right direction of the cabin.

The blowing of snow against her cheeks felt like a slap in the face. Clementine had to stop her walking. She huddled against a tree in a weak attempt to keep warm.

Looking around the girl noticed a shack, hidden beyond towering trees and thick shrubs.

To a weary child it seemed like a safe haven, a place to rest.

Lost in her relief, she unconsciously continued toward the shack.

However, when she reached the open doorway, the view that burst upon her, nearly caused her to vomit.

* * *

Undaunted, Molly made her way towards the cabin. By time she had arrived the snow was blowing so hard all she could see was white.

The cabin door swung open, and Molly walked inside, snow coated every inch of her clothing. She stomped snow from her boots and moved into the living room, placing the bag of supplies on the floor. "Clem," She called. "I'm back!"

There was no response.

Molly frowned. She desperately wanted nothing more than to relax by that warm fireplace. Shaking off the thought she walked around the house, searching for Clementine. The girl was nowhere to be seen.

Molly swore under her breath. Clementine must have left. Meaning the child was out in that storm.

Without hesitation, Molly raced out the door.

Her progress was slow due to the heavy snow on the ground.

Precious time was slipping away. She needed to find that kid.

* * *

Trying her best not to panic, she entered the shack, looking around. The little girl did her best to ignore the blood that covered the area.

The place was completely empty and Clementine was disappointed to find the place had already been ransacked. There were no supplies.

With a frown, the child readied to leave but she stopped when she noticed a gun on the ground. Picking up the weapon, she smiled. At least she had found something useful.

Making her way outside, she walked behind the shack where a firepit lay, black and cold.

The child looked around the area but flinched when she felt a cold hand grab her ankle.

In a panic, the child stumbled back, the walker released her.

Clementine broke into a run, nearly crashing straight into a second walker.

Clementine gasped, nearly tripping over her own feet as the creature lunged at her. Snarling wildly, the monster tried to bite the little girl.

Clementine gave the walker a hard shove, before taking off.

The two walkers followed after her, but she refused to stop until she was safe.

* * *

Molly had no idea where to start, but something in her gut told her to check the shack.

Fighting her way through the deepened snow, Molly made her way back to the shack.

When she finally arrived, she noticed the door was wide open and the bodies that once laid on the ground were no longer there.

She also picked up on the snow that had been tracked inside the shack. Clementine had to have been there.

The question was, where was the child now?

A gunshot seemed to answer her question. At least, Molly hoped it did.

She raced towards the noise.

* * *

Snow was blurring her vision. She could hardly see where she was going.

Clementine slowed down, checking the gun for bullets. There was only one. She would have to use it wisely.

The child was exhausted, she had spent the past ten minutes avoiding walkers and trying to figure out which way led back to the cabin. She knew Molly would be mad when she got back.

When the girl heard growls from behind her, she started moving again. She couldn't let those walkers get too close for comfort. She was no longer running. There was no reason to. She had noted that the walkers seemed much slower than usual, some of them had even given up on chasing her.

She had nothing to worry about, as long as she didn't get-

Suddenly, a walker, who has lying on the ground grabs her, yanking her down.

Clementine yelped, panicking she aimed her gun and pulled the trigger.

* * *

Molly hoped that Clementine was okay. A realization dawned on her, making her pick up her pace. Clementine didn't have a gun.

Avoiding the severely slowed down walkers, Molly continued her search for Clementine.

Molly didn't know how long she had run, but she eventually stopped right in front of a frozen pond.

She spotted a figure on the edge of the pond.

Molly's heart leaped when she saw that the figure was Clementine.

* * *

Clementine forced herself to shaking feet, and started to walk again. Her feet her, and her fingers had gone numb from the cold. She just wanted to get back to the cabin. She didn't care if Molly scolded her. She just wanted to get inside and go to sleep.

She didn't even know where she was going until her sneakers slipped and sent her down to her knees, the surface below her crackling and popping a warning in response. Clementine climbed to her feet, looking to the ice below her. She tried to move quickly but after a couple steps, she slipped again and this time fell hard.

She forced herself to her feet again, her body still shivering from the cold.

The little girl risked a look back and saw a figure. "Molly!" She said, a smile on her lips.

She started to run towards the woman, the ice protested with a squeaky noise.

"Clementine stop!" Molly ordered.

But it was too late, the ice below the girl's feet cracked, sending her into the frozen water.

Clementine struggled helplessly to free herself. Her efforts proved futile and she sank deeper into the water.

Molly looked for something to throw out to the child but found nothing. Without hesitation, Molly ran toward her, barely keeping her balance.

Molly felt the thin ice cracking beneath her with every step she took.

The ice was really easy to break, fortunately she was tall enough to keep her head out of the pond, at least for a bit, but the chilling water made it hard to walk.

Once she got to the center of the pond, the water was up to her neck. As she move further, Molly fell beneath the surface. The water was deep enough for them to drown and Molly knew they would if she didn't hurry.

Molly started swimming towards Clementine. She grabbed the child and pulled both herself and the little girl to shore. Swimming through the ice water was a tedious task.

She managed to grab the edge of the ice, and tried to climb out. Each time the ice would break a little more.  
Molly would not let them meet their end this way.

Finally, she managed to pull herself out of the water, dragging young Clementine with her.

The girl was limp. Molly held the child close in an attempt to gain some response. Weakly the girl opened her eyes.

Molly ran off the ice, carrying the child. She headed back towards the cabin.

Molly kept a quick sprint, and within moments, they had reached the cabin.

Throwing the door open, she darting inside. Shutting the door behind her, she placed Clementine on the couch and rushed to grab several blankets and towels.

Once she returned to the room, she proceeded to strip the child's wet clothes off.

The little girl was barely conscious at this point. Molly was trying her best not to panic. The good thing was hypothermia was setting in because the child was so cold, which bought Molly some time.

Molly used the towels to dry the child off before wrapping a couple blankets around the girl.

She quickly ran to the fireplace, lighting a fire.

Once she finished lighting the fireplace she looked over to Clementine. The girl was slumped over on the couch.

Molly rushed to the child, "Clem?"

There was no response from the girl.

Molly checked for a pulse. She couldn't find one.

The woman felt her heart clench. Had she been too late? The kid was just dead?

Just as she was about to move away, she felt a faint pulse from the girl.

Molly sighed in relief. "You're going to be okay..."

Gathering the child into her arms, she placed the girl on the floor beside the fireplace.

She then peeled her own clothes off and she sat by the fire beside Clementine.

Molly unwrapped Clementine's blankets pulled the child into her lap, wrapping the blankets securely around the both of them.

Several moments passed as she tried desperately to warm the child up, before Clementine suddenly let out a gasp.

"It's okay..." Molly spoke gently.

"I'm s-sorry..." Clementine said through chattering teeth.

Molly only pulled the girl closer.

Clementine felt Molly wrapped her tighter in the blankets. She could feel heat of Molly's body along with the fire and blankets warming her slowly. She didn't protest, instead she snuggled beside the woman.

Neither of them spoke. They just sat there in silence.

Molly would check the child's breathing every so often.

The night carried on without a word until eventually they both had fallen asleep, exhausted from the day's events.

* * *

The next morning, Clementine woke up past noon. She felt cold and her head ached.

Letting out a pained moan, she started to sit up, but a voice stopped her.

"You got a fever." Molly said. "You just rest up..."

"I'm sorry..." Clementine rasped out. Her throat felt sore as she spoke.

"Are you really?" Molly asked. "You could've died out there."

Clementine frowned, "I know..."

"What were you thinking?" Molly demanded. "You know how dangerous it is out there!"

"I... I wanted to help..." The child coughed a bit.

"It was stupid." Molly said. "How many times do I have to tell you you're not allow to go off on your own?!"

Clementine didn't respond.

Molly sighed, looking at the girl's sad expression.

Suddenly Clementine broke into a coughing fit.

Molly searched through the supply bag for some cough syrup. Once she found it she gave some to the child.

"Try to get some rest." Molly said in a calmer tone. "I'll make you some soup…"

"Okay..." Clementine muttered.

"We're going to be here a while..." Molly sighed.

Clementine felt guilty. She had only wanted to help, but instead she made Molly angry. She just wished she could do something right...


	8. Chapter 8

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Molly kept a close eye on Clementine for the next few days, making sure the child was okay, while tending to her cold. Eventually the girl started to feel better and after about a week, she had made a full recovery.

Molly had no plans to leave the cabin anytime soon. With the cold weather, she knew it was best to stay put, besides who knew when they would find a shelter like this one again.

Days grew shorter and shorter and the weather grew colder and colder.

When the weather was not too cold they would hunt for rabbits or go fetch wood or water. Each time they left the cabin Molly made sure they were warmly bundled up.

Whenever they caught something during their hunt Molly would allow it to freeze by keeping it in the shade.

They had a good set up for the winter. Molly just hoped it would stay good.

Once the snow had all melted and the weather had become more moderate, Molly decided it was time to get a move on. Molly allowed them to stay at the cabin for another week, so she and Clementine could relax, before they left the cabin behind, much to Clementine's disappointment.

"Why did we have to leave the cabin?" Clementine asked.

"We couldn't stay there forever, Clem." Molly replied. Fortunately, they still had a good amount of supplies left, but Molly knew it could go fast.

"Why not?" Clementine asked. "It was safe there."

"It was also secluded, which was a good thing and a bad thing." Molly said.

"What makes it bad?" Clementine asked.

"We'd have to travel quite a distance to get supplies." Molly responded.

"Can't we hunt?" Clementine questioned.

Molly was a bit surprised to hear her ask that, remembering how she never wanted to hurt an animal before and just the thought of doing so would make her cry. "That's a lot harder when it's colder, with the animals being hidden."

"Oh…" Clementine frowned, realizing she was right.

"Yeah…" Molly muttered.

"So… Where will we go now?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know… We'll figure something out." Molly said.

"What about supplies?" Clementine wondered.

"We have enough for a while… We'll manage." Molly replied.

"Okay…" Clementine sighed.

"Try not to worry too much." Molly said.

Clementine only nodded in response, but she knew it was too hard not to worry.

* * *

The winter came and went. Spring was now at hand. The weather had was no longer cold as it had been in the winter, but of course, mother nature had plenty of surprises.

It had been such a clear day, so Molly was completely taken aback when it had started raining. She had seen not a cloud in the sky to indicate that it would rain.

Clementine sighed as she felt a wet droplet hit her face "I hate the rain."

Molly chuckled, "In a few months you'll probably be complaining about it being too hot."

"Only if it's really hot." Clementine said.

Molly nodded, "Figured."

The rain pour become harder. The hard rain and blowing wind was enough to put out the fire.

Try as she might, Molly could not get the fire re-lit. The woman groaned, "Looks like we won't be cooking tonight."

"I miss the cabin... At least it had a fire place." Clementine complained.

"Yeah, well, you know it's dangerous to stay in one place too long." Molly said. "It was good for the winter, but to be honest, I'm glad the winter is over."

"It wasn't too bad. The cold made the geeks slow." Clementine said. She had picked up on Molly's term for the undead and was now using it herself.

"That's probably the only good thing about the winter. I've always hated it..." Molly said.

"Even when you were a kid?" Clementine asked.

Molly gave a nod, "My sister and I would try to play in the snow, but she'd always end up with a cold and it wasn't fun playing alone... It's stupid, but I kinda hated the snow for "making" my sister sick."

Clementine smiled, "You sound like a good sister."

"I tried to be." Molly said. She just hoped she could do a better job taking care of Clementine. She wouldn't fail this time.

Molly took a seat beside the girl and the two did their best to ignore the rain.

Clementine suddenly furrowed her brows together. She asked, "Molly... Why do you call them Geeks?"

"Ever been to a circus?" Molly asked back.

"Yeah, when I was younger." Clementine replied.

"You know the Geeks from the circus?" Molly asked.

Clementine looked confused, "Like the clowns?"

Molly shook her head, "No. You know the guys who go around biting heads off of chickens and stuff."

Clementine cringed at that.

"Uh... Nevermind... Just forget it." Molly said, noticing the girl's reaction.

"Okay..." Clementine said. She didn't know if she could forget that.

"You hungry?" Molly asked after several moments of silence.

Clementine was quiet for a minute before saying, "Kind of..."

"We got cold soup." Molly said.

"We can eat it cold?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah. Won't taste the best, but it's food." Molly shrugged.

"Alright." Clementine said.

Molly opened up a can of chicken noddle soup before offering it to the child.

Clementine started eating the soup.

The two ate in silence. They were both chilled to the bone and wet from the rain. Molly just hoped little Clementine didn't get sick again.

Clementine yawned as she finished eating.

"You tired, kiddo?" Molly questioned.

"Yeah." Clementine said, laying down.

The child tried her best to fall asleep, ignoring the uncomfortableness of her wet clothes.

Eventually Clementine had fallen asleep.

The rain persists with no sign of it lifting.

Molly just hoped it would let up soon, which at the moment seemed unlikely.

She listened out, hearing nothing but the rain and wind. The animals must have all taken shelter.

With a huff, Molly decided to try to get some rest herself.

Laying down beside Clementine, she closed her eyes, and moments later she drifted off.

* * *

Three days of travel had left them completely exhausted.

They stumbled upon a neighborhood with several house lined up, however upon searching the houses they found they were all ransacked.

Molly saw no point of staying in an empty and cold house, and so they moved on. An hour passed and Molly was just about ready to just stop for the day, discouraged about not finding anything useful.

As they walked along, they suddenly noticed a large building about fifty meters down. It was some kind of institutional facility. Judging from the fencing, Molly assumed it was a prison.

"Is that a jail?" Clementine asked, as if reading her guardian's mind.

"Looks like it." Molly said. "Come on." She started walking forward.

"Wait!" Clementine quickly ran to catch up with her. "We can't stay here.

"Why not? It's better than sleeping in the rain." Molly said.

"It's a jail. Where the bad people go…" Clementine reminded.

Molly stopped, letting out a sigh, she turned to Clementine, kneeling in front of the child. "You know I'll protect you, right?"

Clementine looked down with a frown. "What if it's dangerous?"

Molly knew Clementine had a fair point. "Everything's dangerous, Clem..."

Clementine frowned. "I know, but-

Molly stopped her. "Just stay close to me and everything will be fine."

"What about the Geeks… This place could be full of them!" Clementine said.

"We'll handle them… Geeks aren't a problem…" Molly said. "People would be what we have to worry about."

"The bad people…?" Clementine asked.

"Exactly…" Molly said.

Clementine swallowed. There were probably a lot of bad people in there. It was a jail afterall.

"Keep close to me. Don't leave my side for a second." Molly said in a firm voice.

"Okay..." Clementine said.

Molly stood up and took the child's hand. "Let's go."

Clementine nodded.

The two started to approach the prison. Clementine was nervous, she had never been so close to a prison before.

The got closer, nearing the fence when suddenly two shots rang out.

"That's close enough, you assholes!" Yelled a voice.

Molly frowned, yanking Clementine down.

Clementine looked to the woman with fear in her eyes. "W-What's happening?"

"It's okay… Just stay down." Molly said.

Clementine nodded, staying low. She was terrified. She knew coming to a jail was a bad idea.

Molly tried to catch a look at whoever was shooting at them, but it was hard to figure it out.

"Hey!" Another voice called.

Molly looked to her side to see a man, holding a gun. He was a few feet away, also crouched low.

"Get over here! I'll cover you!" The guy ordered.

Molly looked down at Clementine, the child's eyes were wide with fear.

"Come on." Molly took the girl's hand and quickly broke into a run towards the stranger.

As he said, he covered her as she ran.

Molly could hear a series a swears and insults as the man quickly stopped shooting and ushered her into the building.

Once they were inside, Molly took a moment to catch her breath. "What the hell is going on?

"This is our side. That's their side. We go over there and they won't hesitate to pull the trigger." The man explained.

"Why?" Clementine asked, looking worried.

"This is their turf, so to speak. They were here first." The man responded.

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked.

"They're the prisoners." The man said.

Molly raised a brow, "How did they get out of their cells?"

"We uh… We let them out…" The man said.

"Why the fuck would you do that?"

"Swear…" Clementine said.

"We didn't think anything bad would happen. It felt inhumane to keep them locked up like animals." The man replied.

"That's fucking stupid." Molly said.

Clementine frowned, "Swear."

Molly ignored the child. "They're criminals. They're in here for a reason."

"I know… But we made a deal. We'd let them out if they help us out…" The man said. "We're all survivors, we figured we could all work together, make this work. But things went bad. They took most of the supplies, we tried to force them to share, but they turned against us."

"Did you really expect prisoner to share with you?" Molly scoffed. "Once again, these aren't your friendly neighbors, they're criminals. You know, murders, thieves, and rapist."

"What's a rapist?" Clementine asked her guardian.

The two adults looked down to the child.

Molly frowned before shaking her head. "It's… Nothing, Clem."

"But I want know." Clementine protested.

"Don't worry about it." Molly said, causing the child to pout.

"How long has this been going on?" Molly asked.

"A few weeks now… They've taken out a lot of our people. Been lost on both sides." The man said. "Maybe you should get out of here while you have the chance."

Molly shook her head.

"It's not safe. And it's only been getting worse…" The man said.

"Worse in what way?" Molly asked, although she had some idea of what he meant, considering those people were taking shots at her, when she clearly had a child with her.

"We get too close to their side, they'll shoot." The man said. "Sometimes they come through, just taking random shots. We've been lucky not to lose anyone else the past few days."

"Damn…" Molly said.

"Problem is… They out number us." The man said.

"Why haven't you left?" Molly asked.

"We would if we could…" The man said. "You see what they do. We get too close to the fence and they shoot. They think this shit is a game."

"So… What started this feud between you guys? I mean, you did free them after all, they couldn't have been all too mad about that." Molly said.

"We got here and took out quite a few biters. We figured this could be a good spot to setting down. We checked the place out and found the prisoners, the surviving prisoners at least. They were still locked in their cells… We let them out and things were good for a while. They work fine with us… And we kept our distance when we didn't need anything done…" The man paused for a moment.

"What changed?" Molly urge him to go on.

"Stuff started to go missing. Food, water, weapons, and ammunition started disappearing. We didn't really notice at first because there was a lot when we first got here… but after a while we figured it out. We confronted the prisoners and a fight broke out. Things got violent, shots were fire, both verbally and literally." The man explained. "And things just escalated from there."

"You said they were stealing supplies; how much do you have now?" Molly inquired.

"Not much. The prisoners took almost everything. We have only a week's worth of food left and eleven gallons of water, we've been trying to save up…" The man said.

Molly quirked a brow, "Where are all the Guards that ran the prison?"

"They took them out first. When I say things got violent, I mean really violent. They killed all the guards and took off with the supplies." The man said.

"That's horrible…" Clementine said.

"Yeah, kid… It is." The man agreed.

"Molly, what are we going to do?" Clementine asked.

"You said you have a group?" Molly asked.

"Yeah. My wife and kids… A few others." The man said.

"Where are they?" Molly asked.

"In the cafeteria, they can lock down that area if they have to. It's the safest spot with all this shit going on." The man replied. "I can take you there if you like."

"Sure…" Molly said.

"Alright…" The man said. "Follow me… And uh… stay on your guard, never know what can happen around here."

The two nodded. Molly took Clementine's hand in her own, and the two followed the man down the hall.

"Name's Todd, by the way." The man spoke.

"I'm Molly. This is Clementine." Molly said.

"Nice to meet you two." Todd said. "And thanks for not killing me."

"Thanks for helping us." Molly said. "I was honestly confused out of my mind. I had no clue why we were being shot at."

"They most likely thought you were with us…" Todd said. "Sorry about that."

"It's fine…" Molly said.

"It's not fine. This shouldn't be happening." Todd said, frowning. "You could've die because of us. A child could've die because of us."

"But we didn't. We're okay." Clementine said.

"This time…" Todd said. "Who know what they'll do next."

"Molly will figure something out. She always has a plan, right Molly?" Clementine said.

When Molly didn't answer, Clementine looked to her guardian, "Molly?"

Molly was silent for a while, a serious expression on her face.

Clementine watched the woman for a moment, studying her facial features.

"What are you thinking?" Clementine asked the woman.

"This is a nice spot. It's a good set up. Good defense, supplies…" Molly said. "It would be a good place to stay…"

"But it's not safe." The man pointed out.

"That's the problem. Which means we got to make it safe." Molly said.

"How?" Clementine asked.

"We're going to have to get rid of those prisoners." Was Molly response.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Todd led the two down the hall. Molly held Clementine's hand, while keeping her guard up in case any prisoners decided to try to attack.

They stayed quiet, knowing to expect the unexpected.

Eventually they arrived at the cafeteria. Among opening the door, the trio was face with several guns.

"Todd!" A woman exclaimed, sighing in relief. She had strawberry blonde hair that fell to about shoulder length. She was a carrying a wistful blue-eyed toddler in her arms, she approached the man and hugged him.

Molly assumed that was his wife.

"I was so worried." The woman said.

"I'm fine, honey. I told you there was nothing to worry about." Todd said, returning the embrace.

"I hate when you go out there." The woman said.

"I know, Shelby…" Todd said.

"Who's she?" Came a man's voice. He still had his weapon aimed at Molly. He was an older man, maybe in his late forties. He was tall, solidly built and had black hair with grey streaks in it. He was in police uniform.

"I found her outside in the yard." Todd said. "She has a kid."

"That doesn't mean anything." Another woman spoke.

Molly looked to the woman, who was shooting her a glare. The woman had straight, brown hair, piercing green eyes. Two young boys sat beside the woman, both had dark, curly hair, their skin color a bit darker than their mother's. They were completely identical except for their eye color. One of the boys had green eyes, while the other had a chocolate brown color.

"You know those people are dangerous. We promised we wouldn't let anyone else in remember?" The woman grumbled.

"They could've died out there, Lynette." Todd said. "Garrett, lower your weapon."

"How do we know we can trust her?" Lynette shot back.

"She has a kid." Todd pointed out.

"Maybe the child's in on this?" Lynette replied, still glaring to Molly.

Molly felt Clementine clutch onto her shirt, practically hiding behind her from the woman's glare.

"Regardless…" The officer piped up, lowering his weapon. "I'm not willing to throw a woman and a young child out."

"You guys are complete idiots." Lynette said.

"Look, I'm not looking for any trouble." Molly said. "My girl and I are just looking for a safe place to stay."

"Well you came to the wrong place." The officer said. "This place is far from safe."

"I am well aware of that now." Molly said. "We almost got our heads blown off by those assholes out there."

"Yeah, it's probably be smart of you to leave." Todd's wife said, also sending Molly a suspicious look.

"We can't. There's too many bad guys out there… They were shooting at us for no reason." Clementine said.

"Well, they're criminals, sweetie. They have no morals." The officer said.

"You're a police officer?" Clementine innocently inquired.

"That's right." The man said. "I'm officer Garrett. What's your name?"

"I'm Clementine." Clementine said.

"So what exactly is going on here?" Molly asked. "I got the gist of the story from Todd…"

"We thought this place would be a safe ground…" Shelby spoke up. "But we were obviously wrong."

"Well, it's a prison… Did you really think the people were going to be nice?" Molly asked.

"We're not stupid, we just have humanity. We thought leaving people locked up when all this shit is going on is inhumane." Lynette said.

"Maybe it is, but they were locked up for a reason. Because they are dangerous." Molly said.

"And they're getting worse…" Todd said.

"They took most of the food and water, more than half of the weapons…" A teen boy spoke. Molly looked to him quickly noting that he must have been Todd's son. He bore a striking resemblance to the man. Same dark wavy hair, fair complexion, and the blue eyes.

A girl stood beside him, maybe fourteen or fifteen years old, hair similar to Shelby's, but longer and once again Molly saw those bright blue eyes.

"They don't care about anything but themselves." The girl added.

"Ian, Avery…" Shelby called. "That's enough."

"It's true…" Ian said.

Todd let out a sigh, "Allow me to properly introduce everyone…."

Molly nodded in response.

"This is my wife, Shelby." Todd motioned to the woman. "Our children… My son Ian, my Avery. And the little one here is Harper." He motioned to them as he spoke.

"Nice to meet you all." Molly said. "I'm Molly. The girl is Clementine."

"Next we have Lynette, and her two boys." Todd said, gesturing to the woman with the twins. "Jason and Jackson."

Molly looked to the family of three who said nothing. She sighed. This was why she didn't do groups.

"Finally we have officer Garrett. He's been looking after Hayley, and Yadiel. They both lost their folks a while back."

Molly noticed another teen girl, about sixteen, with blonde hair swept into a loose braid. Beside her was a young boy, maybe a year or so older than Clementine.

Garrett spoke up, drawing Molly's attention to him. "Considering what's going on out there, it's probably your best bet to stay with us for a while.

"Oh, I have no intentions on going back out there anytime soon." Molly responded.

"What now?" Clementine wondered.

"We wait them out..." Todd said.

"Is that what you usually do?" Molly asked.

"Yeah." Todd replied. "We usually stay in here most the day..."

Molly frowned at that.

"We keep what supplies we have left stashed with us." Garrett said.

"That's smart." Molly said. "I might have a plan…"

"Is that so?" Garrett asked.

"You said they took a bunch of stuff?" Molly said.

"Right." Todd confirmed.

"Well I say we take it back." Molly said.

Lynette scoffed, "How do you purpose we do that?"

"That's the part that still needs to be figured out." Molly said.

Lynette rolled her eyes.

"What do you have in mind…?" Todd asked.

"For starters, we need to figure out their schedule, or at least where they stock the supplies they've been stealing." Molly said.

"That's risky, if we get caught they'll shoot us…" Shelby said.

"So we don't get caught." Molly said. "There has to be a way, we can sneak into to the other side of the prison."

"Actually… I think there is a way…" Garrett commented. "There's a ventilation system in the hallway."

"That's good… It could be useful, but we still need to know where they stock the supplies." Molly said.

"And I think I have a plan to find that out…" Todd said.

"Go on." Molly urged.

"I say, you, me, and Garrett do some scouting. You're pretty quick on your feet." Todd said.

Shelby shook her head. "Todd, no. That's too dangerous."

"They won't be able to see us. Not if it's dark." Todd said.

"The downside is we can't see them either…" Garrett pointed out.

Todd frowned at that, scratching his head. "Oh, yeah… you're right."

"Wait… We could make it work." Molly said.

"You sure?" Garrett asked.

"Yeah. You know your way around the prison." Molly said. "Is there a way we can monitor the prisoners from outside?"

Garrett said. "Yeah. If we can get close enough."

"No good. They have someone up in the surveillance tower twenty-four hours a day." Lynette pointed out.

"One guy's not a problem." Molly said. "We can be careful. Get me a layout of the prison?"

"Got it." Garrett said, he left the room to get the layout.

"Can I help?" Clementine asked.

Molly shook her head. "You're going to stay here."

Clementine frowned, "But-"

"I mean it, Clementine." Molly replied.

The child sighed. "Okay…"

"Good." Molly said.

"What about us?" Ian looked to Todd, who let out a sigh.

"Yeah." Hayley piped up. "You know we can help."

"Dad, let us do something." Ian said.

Todd shook his head. "This is dangerous… You guys stay here and help with the kids."

"So we're babysitting." Hayley groaned.

It wasn't long before Garrett returned, he handed the woman the layout, which Molly accepted.

She looked at the layout of the building. "Any ideas where they might keep the supplies?"

"Most likely in one of the stockrooms." Garrett said.

"Alright. There's two over there…" Molly said.

"So, we really can't help with anything?" Hayley asked.

Garrett looked to the teen. "I want you to stay here, where it's safe." The officer said.

"But Garrett, you know I can handle myself." Hayley said.

"Stay with Yadiel. Keep an eye on him for me." Garrett said.

Hayley let out a sigh. "Fine."

"What do you want to do?" Todd asked Molly.

"We do like you said. Head out when it gets dark." Molly replied.

"Sounds like a plan." Todd said.

* * *

The trio made sure to be careful, using the light of a single flashlight, they made their way through the yard as quietly as possible.

Getting pass the prisoner on guard in the watch toward was easier than Molly had anticipated it to be. She assumed he wasn't paying much attention.

Officer Garrett led the way, having the most knowledge about the prison. While Todd took up the rear.

Molly kept on her guard, as they proceeded to walk around the yard.

"What if we run into prisoners?" Todd whispered.

"Then we will do what we have to do." Molly stated plainly.

Garrett nodded in agreement. "I'll do what I have to, to protect our people."

"Me too..." Todd said.

"Don't shoot, unless you have to." Molly said.

The area was devoid of people. Molly assumed many of the prisoners were asleep. People had to count every minute of sleep they could get as a gift.

"Over here..." Garrett called in a hushed voice. "Stockroom's this way."

The window was barred, but they had a clear view inside. Much to their dismay, the room was cleared out.

"Shit..." Garrett swore.

"Any other ideas?" Todd asked.

"Maybe the armory... or one of the offices?" Garrett said.

Molly shook her head. "No... Some place less obvious."

Garrett thought for a moment. "Maybe the infirmary?" He suggested. "They could stock some stuff pretty good in there."

"Lead the way." Molly said.

They followed the officer as he walked around the building.

They eased their way to a window of a room, Garrett said to be the infirmary.

The three took a look inside, and sure enough they had found what they were looking for.

"Bingo." Garrett smirked.

"Great. Now what?" Todd looked to Molly.

"We get the hell out of here, before anyone shows up." Molly replied.

There was no way they could get in. The windows were also barred up. Besides, Molly knew it would be too risky.

"So that's it?" Todd asked. "We're not going to do anything else?"

"No. We got what we came here for, now we go." Molly replied.

Todd raised a brow, "But-"

"We can't do anything more now." Molly said. "Now that we know where they keep the supplies, we need to start planning."

She turned and started walk away. The two men followed after her.

* * *

"They really aren't letting us do anything." Avery huffed. "It's so annoying."

"I know. This is complete and utter bullshit." Hayley said. "All we ever do is watch the kids."

Clementine gasped, drawing the attention to her. "Swear..."

"What?" Hayley raised a brow at the child.

"You said a swear..." Clementine said.

"So what?" Hayley rolled her eyes.

"I don't like bad words..."

Avery chuckled, "Why not? Soon enough you'll be saying them yourself."

"Nu-uh." Clementine said.

The teens just snickered at the child.

"Why don't you go play or something?" Hayley asked.

"I don't know anyone..." Clementine shyly replied.

Hayley tapped her chin, "Yadiel will play with you. Tell him Garrett says he has to."

Clementine took the hint that the teens didn't want her around.

She decided she might as well try to get to know the other children.

She asked Yadiel and the twins if she could draw with them. The boys agreed.

It was a bit awkward, being the only girl. The boys were talking about boring stuff. The kind of things Duck would yammer on and on about... Clementine couldn't help but miss her old friend.

She continued to play with the boys until Shelby and Lynette came over, telling them it was time for bed.

Clementine laid on one of the prison bunks, waiting for Molly to return. She felt anxious. She just hoped her guardian would be okay.

* * *

Molly had figured things couldn't stay as simple as they had been. She wasn't too surprised when they found themselves surrounded by four prisoners.

They managed to take them out pretty easily. Molly had a much easier time taking out targets at close range. The two men were shocked by her fighting skills.

Molly knew they had to book it fast before anymore showed up.

They ran as fast as they could, back to their side of the prison.

* * *

The next morning, the group gathered back in the cafeteria.

Molly informed the others about having successfully found where the supplies was stash, leaving out the part of being shot at.

"What's the plan?" Shelby asked.

"Now that we know where they keep the supplies, we find a way to take back the food and water. As much as we can anyway." Molly said.

"We should get the weapons, the ammunition." Lynette said.

Molly shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Todd asked. "We get the weapons and they're less dangerous."

"Some of those guys don't need a weapon to kill." Molly reminded.

"Molly's right. We need the food more anyway. We won't last long with the stock we have." Garrett added.

"Exactly." Molly said. "Hear me out. We focus on getting the food and water. If we take that back, little by little we have a better chance at winning this."

"How?" Lynette asked.

"For one, they won't know where the supplies are going. They're the ones who have access to it, meaning that they'll start to get suspicious of each other. The more they lose, the more they'll turn on one another. As long as we don't take too much at a time, they won't figure out what's going on before it's too late." Molly explained.

"That's smart." Todd commented.

"So how do we get in there?" Shelby asked.

"That's what I have to figure out." Molly replied.

* * *

Molly spent the next few days trying to come up with a plan. They needed a way to get into the stockroom, undetected.

She had looked at the vent system multiple times, but she had quickly realized much to her dismay that it wouldn't fit any of the adults or teens and she honestly didn't want to risk sending children through.

The only child she would trust to do something like that was Clementine, who knew how to stay hidden. But Molly didn't know if she wanted to take that risk.

"We're running low on food… We don't have a lot of options." Todd said.

"We still have the vent…" Garrett reminded. "You said it could be useful."

"Yeah, but we have a problem." Molly said. "No one is going to be able to fit through that thing… Well…. Except for Clementine."

The adults looked to the girl, who was playing with the other children.

"No way… She's a child…" Shelby protested.

"I know…" Molly replied.

"You can't seriously be considering letting her do something so dangerous." Lynette said.

"Everything is dangerous." Molly said.

"But you're literally tossing her into danger now." Lynette said, shaking her head in disbelief, a sad look in her eyes. "Those people are criminals. They... They killed my husband..."

"They're the worst kind, murders, rapist. What if she gets caught?" Todd asked, looking concerned.

"You said it yourself, we're running out of options." Molly said. "I'm not going to force her to go. But Clementine's smart. She knows how be careful. She won't get caught."

"You can't be sure about that." Todd said.

"I know her." Molly said. "That kid is tougher than you think."

The others exchanged looks.

"I don't like this…" Shelby sighed, shifting little Harper in her hold. She shook her head at the thought of letting a child do something so dangerous.

"Well… it's our best bet…" Molly said. She went over to Clementine, giving the child a tap on the shoulder. "Having fun?"

"Yeah. Do you want to help with something now?" Clementine innocently asked.

"Actually… I think we do need your help." Molly said.

The teenagers looked surprised to hear that.

"Why does she get to help?" Ian asked. "She's like seven."

"I'm nine." Clementine corrected.

"Who cares. Why are y'all letting some little kid help, and not us teenagers? I'm seventeen for fucks sake." Ian grumbled.

"She's the only one who can fit through the ventilation." Molly said.

Clementine frowned for a moment, remembering how she had to crawl through the vent when the group was stuck at the dairy. She was nervous then, but she was even more nervous now.

Molly noticed the girl's nervous expression and knelt to the child's level. "Hey, I'm not forcing you to do this… If you don't want to, just let me know."

"...I… I can do it." Clementine said. She wanted to help.

"You sure, kiddo?" Molly asked. "If you don't want to, just tell me."

"No… I can do it. I want to help." Clementine said.

Molly nodded. "You're always a big help, Clem."

Clementine smiled at that. "Thanks."

Molly gave the child a pat on the head before making her way back over go the other adults. Clementine followed her guardian, now curious to know what they had planned.

"Clementine's willing to crawl through the vent, and help out with the plan." Molly informed.

"Are you really going to make her do this?" Shelby asked.

"I'm not making her do anything." Molly retorted.

"I want to help." Clementine announced.

"She's just a child." Shelby said. "What if she gets hurt? They could hold her hostage or even kill her..."

Clementine frowned at that.

Molly sighed. "They could do worse than that."

The others paled.

Clementine furrowed her brows, wondering what Molly meant by that. She didn't know what could be worse than murder... She figured she would ask Molly later.

"This is a horrible idea..." Shelby huffed.

"It's the only one we have." Molly said.

That was true.

"Clementine is smart. I believe in her." Molly told the others.

Clementine felt happy to hear the praise. "Do you want me to go now?"

Molly shook her head. "Tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?" Todd asked.

"I want to fill her in on the details. We gotta do this carefully." Molly said.

* * *

Before bed that night, Molly informed Clementine of the plan. The child still seemed nervous, and Molly could tell.

"You're going to be fine. You're brave, Clem. And you're such a smart little girl." Molly reassured the girl.

Clementine frowned, but said, "Okay..."

"What's wrong, Clem?" Molly asked.

Clementine shrugged.

"Come on, kiddo." Molly urged. "Talk to me."

Clementine hesitated, "I... Earlier you said that the bad guys could do something worse than killing me... What did you mean?"

Molly fell silence. She hadn't thought about Clementine hearing that statement when she said it.

"Molly?" Clementine looked to the woman, waiting for a response.

"It's time for bed, Clem..." Molly motioned for the girl to la y down.

Clementine frowned, but laid down. "Are you not going to tell me?"

Molly sighed, "Let's just say, they could hurt you in a bad way. And I don't want them doing anything to hurt you."

Clementine nodded. "Me either."

"You won't have to worry though. You're smart, you're small, and you're fast. Just stay as quiet as possible and go as slow as you need to. " Molly said.

"Go slow?" Clementine repeated.

Molly nodded. "Yeah. It's best if you take your time and not get caught rather than a rush and get clumsy."

"Okay..." The child said.

"Good girl." Molly said, she tugged the child closer to her. "Come on. Let's get some rest."

* * *

"Alright, you ready for this?" Molly asked.

"I think so." Clementine said. "Where do I go?"

"There's a place that looks like a doctor's office. That's where you go." Garrett said.

"Okay." Clementine said.

"Remember what I said, slow and quiet." Molly reminded.

"Okay Molly." The child said.

"And Clem, be careful." Molly told her.

Clementine nodded. "I will."

Garrett lifted the child up, helping her into the vent.

Clementine shifted in the ventilation, it was large enough for her to turn around.

Light from the open end of the vent illuminated the path.

Clementine crawled through the vent, ignoring the fear coursing through her body. She kept telling herself that she would be fine. She wouldn't get caught.

The girl crawled through the vent searching for the doctor's office room.

As she continued through the vent, it became darker the further she went. She relied on touch to guide her. From time to time the dark space would be lightened by a vent that opened into a room and Clementine would peek through, hoping it was the doctor's office.

She made sure to move slow to avoid making any suspicious, loud noises.

As she peered through one more vent, she realized she had found her room. Nobody seemed to be inside.

She waited for a few moments, listening out for any sign of a person in or close by the room. Once she felt confident all was safe, she grabbed onto the vent cover and moved it back and forth, shaking it loose from the connections.

She then pulled herself through the vent. Shifting her position, she scooted forward, inch by inch. she let her legs dangle downward, before letting her body release from the vent. She fell to the ground, hands hitting the floor. She winced slightly, but quickly composed herself, looking around for any threat. All was clear.

Clementine quickly spotted a large amount of supplies. The child started searching for a bag, finding an almost empty one. She began to stock up on what she could, remembering not to take too much.

She threw a couple of cans and water bottles in the bag, making sure it was light enough for her to carry.

Place the bag down, she made her way to the other side of the room. The child began looking through a draw, finding medication. She checked the other draws. More medicine. When she checked the last draw however, her eyes widened. There was a single candy bar. She picked up the chocolate bar before making her way back to the bag, she threw the candy bar inside.

She had to draw a chair over, in order to reach the vent. It wasn't super high, but it was high enough for her to reach on her own.

She practically tossed the bag inside, just as she heard a voice from outside the door.

Clementine's eyes widened and she quickly pulled herself up into the vent. Her heart was hammering in her chest.

The door opened, and a man walked into the room.

Clementine watched nervous, she didn't risk moving, not wanting to make any noise.

The man walked around the room, letting out a mutter of, "What the fuck?"

Clementine swallowed, wondering if she'd been spotted. She waited with dread for the man to come over to her but that never happened, instead he made his way over to the draw that Clementine just realized she had left open.

The man looked inside the draw before his face twisted into an angry look. "Who the fuck ate my damn chocolate bar."

Clementine's looked to the bag, eyes wide. She continued to watch the man for a moment as he angrily made his way out the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Clementine sighed in relief. She waited several moments before she started back to where Molly and the others were.

Upon her return, Molly immediately hugged her. Clementine returned the hug, trembling a little.

"Good job, kiddo." Molly praised.

Clementine lowered her head, "I messed up…"

"With what?" Molly inquired.

"I took a candy bar…" Clementine said. "And then I heard a man get mad."

Molly smirked, "Eat it. Consider it a prize for a successful mission."

The child brightened. "Really?"

"Yep." Molly said.

Clementine smiled, fear forgotten as she immediately started to eat her newly obtained candy bar.

Molly took the bag from the child.

"Well, that went better than we thought." Todd said.

"Like I told you, Clem's a smart kid." Molly said. She felt pride in saying that, and knowing that Clementine was her responsibility.

"Well, you weren't lying. Well done, Clementine." Todd said.

* * *

As the weeks went on Clementine continued her mission.

Each time she felt less nervous than before. She knew what to do. Still, she made sure to stay careful. She knew didn't get caught yet, and she didn't want that to change.

Today's routine was the same, however sometime felt off today.

The room was empty when Clementine arrived, but she couldn't help but feel that someone had been there.

She went to work, trying to stock up the bag, but before she could start gather supplies she heard footsteps approaching.

Clementine looked around for a hiding spot, ducking under one of the beds.

She watched as a man entered the room, digging through some of the supplies, he started munching away on a bag of chips. He seemed to be as nervous as Clementine felt right now.

"What are you doing?" Came another voice.

The man practically jumped out of his skin, nearly dropping the bag.

Clementine frowned, watching fearfully.

"Are you stealing food?" The second man asked angrily.

The first man scoffed. "I was hungry, y'all putting limits on the food like we're in school or something.

"We're losing food as it is. Put it back." The second man said.

"Fuck you." The first man replied.

"What the hell did you say?" The second man shot him a glare.

"You heard me, asshole. I said fuck you." The first man said.

Clementine tucked herself further under the bed, heart pound harshly. The child stayed under the bed, trembling wildly as the men yelled at each other.

When suddenly, she heard a gunshot rang out.

One of the men collapsed, on feet away from her. Clementine threw a hand over her mouth, holding back a gasp. Panic rolled through her, filling her with bitter fear.

The second man walked to the first man, and proceeded to shoot him in the head.

Clementine watched in horror as blood dripped to the ground. The child was scared out of her mind. She had to struggle to keep her breathing quiet and not give in to the fear that was squeezing her chest.

"Fucking piece of shit." The man grumbled.

Clementine moved back a bit further as not to be seen as the man grabbed the dead body and began dragging it from the room.

The girl stayed put for a bit, waiting in case the man returned. He didn't.

Clementine took a few deep breaths. She had to fight panic and get back to Molly.

Shaking, she made her way from her hiding spot. She stumbled towards the vent before remembering the supplies. She quickly made a beeline back to the bag, packing it with what supplies she could before rushing over to the chair below the vent.

She tossed the bag in, before pulling herself up. She wasted no time in making her way back to her group. She had never been more terrified in her life.

* * *

The last thing Molly had expected was for Clementine to practically throw herself from the vent. She tossed herself into her guardian's arms as soon as she spotted her. The child was whimpering fearfully. Molly hugged the poor girl, wondering what had happened.

"Clem, what happened?"

Clementine shook her head, too shaken up to respond.

Molly picked the child up, telling her it was okay, she was safe now.

It took nearly fifteen minutes for her to actually get the child to calm down.

"I don't want to do it anymore…" Clementine sniffled. "It's too scary. Please don't make me do it anymore!"

"Shh…" Molly hushed the child. "Tell me what happened, Clem."

"They started fighting. They were yelling and then… One of them just shot the other one." Clementine explained. "I thought they were going to find me."

"But they didn't. You're alright…" Molly said. She had known it was a gamble, but they had been dealt a shit hand and Molly had to deal with it. However, it wasn't worth letting Clementine get hurt. The girl had done enough. "You don't have to do it anymore, sweetie."

"P-Promise?" Clementine stammered.

"I promise." Molly said.

"I'm sorry… I disappointed you…" Clementine said.

"No you didn't. You've done so good. You're so brave, doing it for this long." Molly said.

"There's not a lot left…" Clementine informed.

"Then that's good enough." Molly said.

"What now?" Asked Lynette.

"We wait." Molly said. "And hope the plan works."

* * *

Days went by and the plan had proved to be a success. With the lack of food, the prisoners were more irritable, turning on each other left and right.

Molly was glad the plan was going so smoothly.

Clementine spend the next few days, playing with the other children, who she had grown close to. It was the easy way to block out the gunshot that echoed throughout the place.

The group sat there in silence, hearing the loud fire of gun blazing. A good hour passed before the shooting finally stopped.

The silence didn't break until Molly spoke, "This is our time…"

"What?" Lynette asked.

"We can attack them…" Molly said.

"You sure it's a good idea?" Garrett asked.

"Their defenses are going be low, they're most likely wounded and exhausted. We have to do this now." Molly told them.

The adults seemed hesitant to agree but they knew Molly hadn't steered them wrong so far.

"Alright…" Todd said.

"I'm going too, dad." Ian said. "I'm not sitting this one out."

"Ian…" Shelby frowned.

"Don't try to stop me." Ian said. "I'm not going to sit here and do nothing."

"Okay." Todd said, surprising the boy. "You can come."

Hayley looked to Garrett, who let out a sigh.

"Just be careful." Garrett simply said.

The girl gave a nod.

They picked up some weapons, Todd looked to Molly, offering her a gun. "You need a weapon."

"I don't go anywhere without it." Molly motioned to Hilda. "Keep an eye on Clem for me, will you?" She addressed the two women who were staying with the children.

The women nodded.

"Of course." Shelby said.

Molly looked to the rest of the group, "Let's go."

* * *

They discussed methods for taking out the prisoner. Silent weapons where their prime choice. Molly knew it was risky, but it was their best chance at ending things once and for all.

However things didn't go as they hoped.

When the prisoners started to fire gunshot, instinct was to fire back. And that's what they did.

They wiped out several of the remaining prisoners.

Molly, Todd, and Ian made their way inside to rid of the prisoners there.

They stopped as Garrett let out a yell.

"Garrett!" Hayley yelled.

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Garrett said. He had been shot in the leg.

"Get him behind cover." Molly ordered to Hayley. "Stay with him."

Hayley nodded.

Molly could see prisoners taking shots from the barred windows inside. "Come on."

Todd and Ian followed the woman. The three ran into the building, taking out the few prisoners that remained in the building.

"I think we're good…" Todd said.

"Stay on your guard." Molly replied.

"Looks like we took out-" He was cut off by a sharp pain in his chest. The man collapsed to the ground, limp as a rag doll.

"DAD!" Ian cried. Glaring at the man who shot his father, he returned fire.

Molly rushed over to him. A large puddle of blood had form under him. She quickly checked for a pulse, finding none. He'd been shot right in the chest.

Molly frowned, heart clenching.

"Can you help him? Do something!" Ian cried.

"I can't… I can't, Ian… He's gone…" Molly said.

She placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder as he began to sob. Molly pulled the boy into a hug, allowing him to cry for his loss.

Her gaze drifted to Todd's form, knowing he would turn so. She let out a sigh, it never got easier to lose someone...

Releasing her grip on the teen boy, she spoke in a gentle, yet firm voice. "Close your eyes."

The boy did so, trembling.

Slowly Molly stood and made her way to Todd's body, just as the man's corpse began to move again. She quickly stabbed him in the head, trying to block out Ian's broken cries.

"Come on..." She called to the boy in a solemn tone.

The boy slowly stood and made his way over to the woman.

Molly had to practically guide him out. He was so distraught.

The two left, without looking back.

* * *

When Molly and the others returned to the group, Clementine quickly rushed to the woman.

"You're okay!" Clementine said. "I'm so glad."

"You're all back." Lynette sighed in relief.

Shelby quickly hugged her son, while little Yadiel ran over to Garrett asking if the officer was okay.

"Wait…" Avery spoke up, "Where's dad?"

Shelby's eyes widened and she looked to Molly.

Molly shook her head, a sad expression on her face, "I'm so sorry…"

Shelby immediately broke into tears, Avery doing the same.

"Did... Did he turn?" Avery asked through her whimpers.

"No..." Molly said. "I didn't let him..."

Everyone lowered their heads frowning.

Little Harper gently patted her mother's cheek, "Don't cry, mommy."

That only made the woman cry more.

Molly felt her heart break for the family.

* * *

After a week, had gone by Molly was sure the prison was safe. The group had enough supplies for at least a few weeks, and more importantly, they wouldn't have to worry about the prisoners shooting at them.

Molly decided it was time to move on. She had never been a group person, and she didn't plan on becoming one.

She looked to Clementine as the child snuggled close to her. "Molly, are all the bad people dead?"

"Yeah…" Molly said.

"Will more bad people come?" It only made since to the child. It was a prison afterall.

"Hopefully not." Molly replied.

"I hope not too." Clementine said.

"Get some rest, kid. We're hitting the road tomorrow." Molly said.

"Do we have to leave?" Clementine asked with a frown.

"Yeah, kiddo."

"Okay…" Clementine said. "Molly…"

"Yeah?" Molly asked.

"I'm glad I have you." Clementine simply said.

It was the last thing Molly had expected to hear, but it made her feel good. A small smile crossed her lips, "Thanks Clem. I'm glad I have you too."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

The bright sun cast down upon the two as the trudged along.

They had been on the road for a week, and they were both exhausted. The constant, always-on-the-move travel was quickly wearing the duo out. Any traveler could probably agree that at some point, they hit that point where they are sick of traveling.

Clementine regretted having to leave the prison, but she knew that they couldn't stay in one place too long. It was better safe than sorry, so she wasn't complaining.

Molly knew the most important thing was to find some place safe, maybe somewhere that could be a long-term solution, for her and Clementine to settle down.

Finally, Molly and Clementine stopped at an isolated rest stop along the path.

Clementine looked down as a can hit her foot. She picked up the can, but found it was empty. Wrinkling her nose, she let the can drop from her hand.

Molly hummed, "Hey Clem… I'm going to take a look around, see what I can find."

"Okay." Clementine said.

"Why don't you get cleaned up in the bathroom?" Molly suggested.

Clementine looked to the restroom. "I hope the sink works in there."

"Most likely it won't. But you can try." Molly said.

Clementine nodded.

"Be careful. Make sure you keep track of your things." Molly said. "And shout if you need me…"

"Okay." Clementine said.

With that, the child approached the restroom, while Molly did a quick search of the area, looking for anything useful.

As she opened the door, Clementine hesitated for a bit to enter the dark restroom. The only light source being a window on the far side of the wall. Mustering up her courage she walking inside the dimly lit area.

"...Hello?" The girl called out.

There was no response.

Clementine decided it would be best to look around and make sure it was truly clear.

The washrooms were creepy. And Clementine decided it would be best to be in and out as quick as possible.

Holding her gun tightly, she started checking the stalls the first stall closest to the door is just plain gross. The toilet is broken and clearly dripping. "Oh, gross…" But it's empty. Good.

She moves on to the second stall. It's no better than the first. In fact, it's worse, blood is on the wall and a stuff rabbit in on the toilet seat, clearly a child was injured in that stall. Maybe they had tried to hide in there from something… or someone… Clementine didn't want to think about it.

Closing the door, she went to the last stall. The third one was the most decent compared to the other too, and once again it was empty.

Clementine sighed in relief. "Good, no one's here." She made her way over to the sink area. "Guess it's safe to get cleaned up."

She caught sight of her disheveled self in the mirror, and her own reflection startled her. The girl took in her appearance with a frown. She let out another sigh.

She placed her gun down and set her backpack onto the counter, unzipping it a bit. She looked to the faucet of the sink. Might as well give it a try. "Please have water."

However, when she turned the taps, not even a drop dripped into the sink. "Figures..." She groaned.

Reaching into her bag, she grabbed her water bottle and a wash rag. Pouring some water over the rag, she placed the water bottle down and used the rag to clear the dirt off her face.

Once she had finished she examined her reflection once more. A small smile graced her lips. "Better."

The girl reached for her water bottle, to put it away, but accidentally knocked the bottle off the counter. "Oh, shoot…" She muttered at the bottle rolled away.

The bottle rolled into one of the stalls much to the child's annoyance. Luckily she knew which one.

She made her way towards the third stall and opened the door. Stepping in, she picked up the bottle. She looked to the bottle with a frown, "Ew…"

The child suddenly jumped as the sound of a door opening reached her ears.

The hairs on the back of her neck all stood up, the child immediately felt a bad vibe. She quickly stood on the toilet, trying to stay hidden.

The girl could hear a bit of shuffling and caught sight of a teen now digging through her backpack.

Clementine fought back a gasp as the teen picked up her gun. She tried to stay quiet, hoping the teen would just leave if she stayed quiet. Clementine drew in a quick, short breath, trying to stay as still as possible.

The girl's foot suddenly slipped and Clementine hoped that the teen didn't hear it. She had.

Clementine swallowed nervously as the teen approached.

The teen aimed the gun at the child. "I see you. Get outta there. You're not fooling me."

"That's my gun..." Clementine said meekly.

"S'mine now." The teen replied.

"Give it back." Clementine said, trying to sound tough.

"Why should I?" The teen opened the stall door. "Get out here."

Clementine frowned, stepping of the toilet. She made her way out of the stall, whimpering a bit as she raised her hands where the teen could see them.

"You got anything on you? Come on, let's see." The teen demanded.

"That's all I have..." Clementine said.

"I'm serious! What else you got?" Asked the teen.

"That's it..." Clementine told her.

"Don't lie to me. I'll pop you." The teen said. "Give me what you got!"

"I don't have anything!" Clementine finally exclaimed.

"Gimme that hat." The teen ordered.

Clementine shook her head. "...No"

"Where'd you get it?" The teen asked.

Clementine frowned.

"I asked you a question!" The teen said, emphasizing her words by point the gun.

"...My dad gave it to me." Clementine replied.

"Just give it to me." The teen said.

Clementine didn't bother saying anything. There was no way she would hand over her hat. It was all she had left of her family... All she had left of Lee...

The teen turned her attention back to the bag, keeping the gun trained on the child. "Junk, junk, and junk. Look at all this junk. Shit, shit, and more shit. Why you ain't got nothing good? You're just a little fish. You gonna cry little fish?"

Clementine caught the sound of the door opening once again, however the teen was too distracted.

Suddenly the door shut.

Startled, the teen fired a shot in Molly's direction, missing the woman by just an inch.

Molly hastily crossed the room and grabbed the teen's arm. She twisted, causing the teen to release the hold on the gun. Molly quickly snatched the weapon, cocked it, and aimed it at the girl.

The teen's eyes widened. "I… I wasn't doing anything. I swear."

"You sure about that? Because from the looks of it, you were trying to rob my girl." Molly said.

The teen didn't know what to say. "I…"

"What's your name?" Molly asked.

"M-Michelle." The girl answered.

"Well, Michelle… you the wrong little fish to rob today." Molly said.

"Are… Are you going to kill me?" Michelle asked.

"That would be a waste of a bullet." Molly replied.

Michelle just watched the woman with wide, fearful eyes.

"You got anymore weapons?" Molly asked, checking the girl's pockets.

"Yeah… A knife…" Michelle said.

"Alright…" Molly didn't bother taking that weapon. She knew the girl wouldn't try anything with just a knife. She finished checking her for weapons, finding only the knife as the teen had said. "So… Would you like to explain to me what the hell was going on here?"

"I was trying to… to gather supplies." Michelle said.

"By robbing a child?" Molly asked.

"I don't have any other choice." Michelle claimed.

"Maybe that's what you think. I know things are rough. But you should probably rethink some of your choices. Because next time you go robbing people and waving a gun around, they might not hesitate to put a bullet in your head." Molly said. "You keep going like this and who knows how long you're going to survive."

Michelle seemed surprised by the woman's words.

"Now get the hell out of here before I change my mind about shooting you." Molly said. It was just a threat. Molly saw no point in shooting some teen, but the threat worked. The teen scrambled her way out of the restroom.

Molly sighed as she looked to Clementine, who was whimpering quietly. She approached the child and knelt to her level. "You okay."

Clementine gave a nod.

"What happened?" Molly asked the girl.

"I… I was getting cleaned up like you told me and… and…" Clementine trailed off, but Molly quickly pieced the situation together.

"You left your stuff?" Molly asked.

"Y-Yeah…" Clementine said.

"Didn't I tell you to keep track of your things?" Molly asked.

Clementine lowered her head with a frown.

Molly sighed. The woman straightened up, she took the child's hand. "Come on, kid. Let's get a move on."

Clementine nodded and the two made their way out of the rest room.

* * *

As the months continued to fly by travelling Clementine adapted more to life on the move. It was far from easy. There were days when they were complete exhausted or nights when they would go without a meal, but they managed to survive.

Clementine was grateful to have Molly looking out for her. After Lee died, she had been terrified. She had no idea what to do, and if Molly hadn't found her, she was sure she wouldn't have lasted long.

Now with her birthday rolling in, Clementine couldn't help but feel sad. She kept remembering how she lost her guardian just two days after he birthday. She couldn't believe that it was almost a year ago now…

The last couple of weeks had been okay, considering how quiet things were. Clementine didn't know how long it had been since they had seen another living person. So, when the two were packing up after breakfast that morning the last thing either of them had expected was for several men to suddenly surround them, all wielding weapons.

"Well, well, well… Look what we got here…" One of the men spoke.

"She's a pretty nice find…" A second man said.

"You got anything on you?" Asked a third man.

Molly sighed. "Not much…"

"What's not much…" The first man questioned.

"We got a couple food cans…" Molly replied.

"Well, beggars can't be choosers." Another bandit said. "Can't complain about the body though."

"She might be perfect; I think we should keep her." The second man said.

"What about the little boy?" Ask the fourth bandit.

Clementine furrowed her brows at that. She knew they must have been talking about her. She glanced to the blue hoody she was wearing. That combined with her short haircut and baseball cap must have made them think she was a boy.

"We don't need him… We kill him." Said the first man.

Clementine felt her heart drop and took a step back. "M-Molly?"

"Shhh…" Molly tried to shush the child, but it was too late.

"You sure that's a boy? Kid has a pretty little face." The second man said.

"How about I check?" One of the men reached for Clementine.

However, before he could do anything, Molly delivered a strong kick to the main's balls. She quickly grabbed Clementine and they broke into a run.

The men started firing shots in their direction. Molly made sure to zigzag in order to avoid being hit. However, as they continued to run, Clementine suddenly let out a yelp, falling face first to the ground.

Molly panicked. She quickly knelt beside the child. The girl was bleeding. She had been shot.

Molly scooped the child into her arms, the child groaning in pain. The woman took off running again, trying to escape the bandits.

As Molly ran, she felt a bullet graze her arm. Ignoring the pain, she kept moving. She caught sight of a farm, several feet ahead. Molly ran towards it, nearly falling as she felt a bullet hit her in the leg.

She hissed in pain, quickly regaining her balance, she shifted the injured child in her arms and dashed towards the farm.

For a moment Molly, worried that she may have ran Clementine and herself right into the bandits' home base as a man started to fire shots from the Farm House, but she was surprised to see the man had shot two of the bandits dead. Molly took the chance to pull out her own gun and shoot three more of the bandits.

The man rushed toward the gate of his farm and opened in.

"Get in here! Hurry!" The man ordered. He was a tall man, greying hair and dark eyes.

Molly rushed, the best she could, through the gate as the other bandit retreated into the forest.

The man quickly looked the gate. "Come on…"

He led her toward a house. Clementine was barely conscious at this point. Molly figured the child was in horrible pain.

"T-Thanks." Molly said to the man ask she caught her breath.

"Don't mention it." The man replied.

"My name's Molly by the way." Molly introduced herself.

"Aaron." The man replied.

They made their way to the farm house and the man let Molly inside.

"Dad?" A girl around seventeen or eighteen asked. "Who's this?"

"Don't worry, Alexis. They're not trouble." Aaron said.

"How do you know?" A teen boy questioned, he looked about fifteen or sixteen.

"Daddy, are you okay?" A girl a bit older than Clementine asked.

"What happened?" Ask another girl, around seven or eight years old.

"I'm okay, girls…" The man reassured the children. "This is Molly and…"

"Clementine." Molly said.

"Clementine." Aaron repeated.

"What happened to her?" The youngest child asked.

"She's been shot." Molly said.

All the children's eyes grew wide.

"I'll… I'll get a first aid kit…" Alexis ran from the room.

"Put her on the couch. I'll see what I can do..." The man said.

Molly nodded she went to set Clementine on the couch.

"Is she going to be okay?" The youngest girl asked.

"I think so…" Molly said. "What's your name?"

"Evette." The little girl replied. "And this is Deanna." She motioned to the other little girl who waved.

"Nice to meet you both." Molly said. She took a seat next to Clementine, checking the girl's injury.

Alexis soon returned with the first aid kit. She looked to Molly. "You're hurt too…" The teen pointed out.

"I'll take care of it, honey." Aaron said. "You and Josh take the girls upstairs to play."

"Alright…" Alexis said. She took her young sibling's hands and led them from the room.

The teen boy, Josh followed after them.

The room was silent as Aaron examined the Clementine's wound. He cleaned it, and the unconscious child winced. "Looks like the bullet went straight through."

"That's good." Molly sighed in relief.

"You two on your own?" Aaron asked.

"Yeah. For a while now." Molly replied.

"Must be rough." Aaron said.

"I guess. But I'm not really a group person…" Molly replied honestly.

"Sometimes there's strength in numbers." The man said.

"And sometimes numbers can create problems." Molly said.

"Fair point…" Aaron started to wrap the young child's wounds. "I think she should be fine in a while. She'll just have to take it easy."

"Thank you. I really appreciate this." Molly said.

"We're not do here. Let me take a look at your leg. You're bleeding quite a bit." Aaron said.

"…Alright." Molly agreed.

She allowed the man to take care of her injured leg, and then he also treated the graze on her arm.

"All set..." Aaron said as he put away the medical supplies. "You and your girl are welcome to stay here. It's probably your best option with those bandits outside."

"Yeah... Thanks again..." Molly said. She knew she couldn't go anywhere right now. Not with Clementine hurt and those psychos outside waiting.

"No problem." Aaron replied. "In the meantime, I'm going to go get some lunch started."

Molly simply nodded.

Aaron headed off to the kitchen.

Molly decided to try to get some rest. She laid down beside little Clementine and closed her eyes.

* * *

When Molly awoke, she immediately noticed that Clementine was no longer beside her.

The woman forced herself up and saw Alexis sitting in a chair reading a book.

"You okay?" Alexis asked.

"Where's Clem?" Molly questioned back.

"She's fine. She's upstairs playing with the girls." Alexis informed.

Molly sighed in relief.

"Dad made some food if you're hungry. You were asleep for a while." Alexis said.

"Alright… Thanks." Molly stretched, before heading into the kitchen.

"Finally awake, I see." Aaron said.

"Yeah… Sorry, it's been an exhausting day." Molly said.

"I bet. I'm sure you and Clementine have been on the road for a while." Aaron said.

"A while is an understatement." Molly sighed.

"Well, I'm sure you must be hungry. Help yourself." Aaron motioned to a pot on the stove.

The pot was full of beef stew. Molly used a spoon to put some into a bowl. She took a seat at the table and started to eat.

* * *

"Let's play something else…" Deanna spoke to the other two little girls.

"Like what?" Clementine asked.

"…Let's play hide and seek." Deanna said.

"Okay." Evette said. "You're it…"

"What? Why am I it?" Deanna asked.

"Because it's you're idea." Evette said. "Let's hide, Clem…"

"Okay!" Clementine said. "Count to twenty!"

Deanna pouted but started counting as the other two girls ran from the room.

"Come on…" Evette whispered to her. She opened the door to a bedroom and the children saw Josh on his bed. He was doing something neither child had never seen before. I

Clementine stopped suddenly eyes wide open.

"What do you want? Ever heard of knocking?" Josh sounded annoyed.

Clementine didn't know what to say. "W-What are you doing?"

The boy looked to them and sent them a glare, face going red. "GET OUT!" The boy snapped.

The two little girl's eyes widened and they rushed from the room. Evette broke into tears. "I'm telling daddy!"

Josh got out of the bed, fixing his clothes and called, "Wait, Evie-"

The child didn't listen as she dashed downstairs.

Clementine stood there, not knowing what to do.

Josh let out a sigh, going back into his room and shutting the door.

* * *

"This is a nice place." Molly said.

"Well, we try to keep it nice." Aaron said.

"You're doing a good job…" Molly said.

"Thanks." Aaron said with a smile. "So, where were you and Clem heading?"

"We're just searching for a safe place to be honest." Molly said.

"Well, like I said you're welcome to stay here. We have enough room." Aaron said.

Molly nodded. "I really appreciate that. I'll consider the offer, but no promises."

"Alright…"

Before either of them could speak another word, they heard Josh yell out. Not to long later they heard Evette start crying and the child's rushed footsteps downstairs.

"Daddy!" Evette made her way into the kitchen and hugged her father.

"What happened, honey?" Aaron asked the child.

"Joshua yelled at me…" The girl whimpered.

"It's okay, baby…" Aaron said.

Alexis soon enter the room. "Evie, I thought you guys were playing…"

"We were, but Josh is being mean…" Evette said.

"It's alright. I'll beat him up for you. How's that sound?" Alexis asked, hugging her younger sister.

Evette nodded in response.

Molly smiled. It was sweet to see the girl looking after her younger sister. It reminded her of how she was so protective of own sister.

"Come on, it's almost bedtime." Alexis said, taking her little sister's hand.

"But I'm not sleepy." The child protested.

"I'll read you a story…" Alexis said.

"Okay…" Evette said.

Alexis led her sister out of the room.

"I don't know what I would do without her." Aaron said. "She's been a huge help with the kids. Sometimes I feel bad that I rely so much on her…"

"She's a good kid." Molly said.

"Yeah… She is." Aaron agreed.

* * *

As the night carried on, Aaron brought Molly and Clementine to a spare room for them to rest in.

"How are you feeling?" Molly asked the child.

"I'm okay… I think." Clementine said.

"You sure, Clem?" Molly asked.

"Yeah. Are you?" Clementine asked. "Alexis said you were hurt too."

"I'm fine, Clementine." Molly said.

"That's good." Clementine let out a yawn. "I like this farm… It's not scary like the St. John's dairy…"

"What's that?"

"My group went there with Lee… They said they had food, but they were actually eating people. They cut our friend Mark's legs off and tried to feed them to us… But Lee stopped me." Clementine said.

Molly's eyes widened, she was disturbed by what she just heard. "I think these people are nice, sweetie."

"They seem nice. I hope they stay nice." Clementine said.

"Me too…" Molly replied. Regardless, they would have to get a move on soon. "Get some sleep kiddo."

"Okay…" Clementine closed her eyes.

It didn't take long for the two to drift off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning Clementine woke up, feeling well rested for the first time. Molly was still asleep and Clementine decided not to wake her. She couldn't remember the last time her and her guardian had been able to sleep in.

After breakfast, and having her gunshot wound looked at by Aaron, she went off to play with Deanna and Evette. However, she was a bit surprised to be called into Josh's bedroom by the teen.

The girl entered the room, raising a brow. "What is it?"

"Shut the door…" Josh said. "And lock it."

Clementine was confused, but the child did as she was told.

"I wanted to show you something…" Josh said. "Remember when you walked in on me yesterday?"

"Yeah… What were you doing?" Clementine asked.

"Do you really want to know?" Josh questioned.

Clementine nodded.

"Okay. I'll show you…" Josh said. He undid his pants, much to Clementine's surprise.

Clementine felt a bit nervous. "W-What are you doing?"

The boy played with himself for a moment before looking to Clem. "Now you gotta show me yours…"

"Mine?" Clementine asked.

"Yeah."

The girl hesitated for a moment, but undid her own pants. She pulled them down, revealing her panties. She was scared to show the boy her secret area.

"Get on the bed…" Josh said.

Clementine did so, only to be shocked as the teen forced his hand into her panties. She was frozen for a moment as he moved his hand around.

"No!" Clementine said, yanking his hand away. The child jumped from the bed, fear in her eyes.

"Wait…" Josh said.

Clementine didn't. She ran straight towards the door.

Josh jumped to his face and quickly blocked the child in. "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you… You're just as wrong as I am. You let me do it."

Clementine sniffled a bit, tears falling. She was terrified of the teen.

Josh finally moved, opening the door and shoving the child out the room.

Clementine wasted no time in running to the guest room.

Molly had just woken up and was surprised when Clementine tossed herself into her arms.

"Can we leave?" Clementine whimpered.

"What?" Molly asked.

"Please… I don't want to be here anymore…" Clementine said.

Molly raised a brow, "Why not?"

Clementine didn't respond.

Molly was more than confused. She felt worried by the child's behavior. Molly just sighed and held the child closer.

* * *

"Have you thought about staying?" Was Aaron's question during dinner that night.

Molly looked to Clementine's face, the child just lowered her head. "No... Clem and I are actually moving on come tomorrow. We appreciate you allowing us to stay here."

"Of course..." Aaron said. "If you change your mind, just let me know..."

"Okay." Molly said.

"Do you really have to leave?" Evette frowned. "I wanted to play more..."

"Me too." Deanna said.

Clementine frowned. "I'm sorry."

"Can't you stay...?" Deanna asked.

Clementine sighed. "I don't... I don't know..."

"Look girls, we'll talk about this tomorrow."

"Well, the weather's pretty bad right now... It's raining pretty hard." Alexis said.

"Yeah… If it doesn't let up by the morning, you might want to think about staying another day…" Josh said.

Clementine felt her skin crawl a bit as the boy looked to her. She quickly looked away.

"I guess we'll see what's what tomorrow…" Molly simply said.

The family nodded.

* * *

The wind was blowing strong, the rain hard. There was no way Clementine and Molly were going out in that storm.

Loud crashes of thunder had been enough to wake several people in the house. And it seemed like the storm was only getting worse.

After an almost sleepless night, they were feeling wary about the storm. Especially when the wind proved to be strong enough to take down a couple trees.

By late afternoon they just gathered around the living room. They hadn't seen a storm this bad before.

"This is a really bad storm, daddy…" Evette said. "I don't like it…"

"I know honey…" Aaron said. "Why don't you three girls go upstairs and play…"

"It's scary…" Evette whined, clinging to her father.

"I'll go up there with you…" Alexis said. "Come on, girls."

Clementine hesitated, but Molly urged to go play.

Thing only worsened by the house. Strong winds pushed against the windows.

It was a rampaging wind and rain.

"This isn't good..." Molly said.

"What?" Aaron asked.

"This storm..." Molly simply said.

Aaron sighed. "No... It's not."

They opened the front door to look out the screen door. The rain was pouring so hard, the could barely see. However, they didn't hear loud roars of thunder.

Lightening flickered rapidly, lighting up the sky. Then suddenly they heard a sound much like the roaring of a train.

Something was coming directly toward the farmhouse.

"Holy shit..." Aaron said. "We need to get to the basement..."

* * *

The children tried their best to ignore the loud sounds of the storm, while playing with toys.

Clementine felt the urge to use the bathroom and she placed down her toys.

The child stood up. "I'll be back." Clementine told her two friends.

"Okay." The other two children said.

"Where are you going Clem?" Alexis asked, looking up from her book.

"To the bathroom." Clementine answered.

"Okay..." Alexis said. "Call me if you need anything."

"Okay." Clementine said.

The child left the room and headed to the bathroom. She used the toilet, trying her best to be scared of the loud noises from the storm.

She finished using the bathroom, but felt her heart stop as the doorknob shook. Quickly, with her heart pounding, she grabbed some tissue paper and wiped herself. She forced herself to her feet and flushed the toilet, just as the door opened.

She had forgotten to lock it.

Before her stood Josh. The teen looked surprise for a moment, but wordlessly entered the bathroom.

"Did you tell on me?" He asked.

Clementine gulped. "W-What?"

"Did you tell?"

"No..." Clementine replied. Trembling a bit, she pulled her panties and pants up.

Josh shot her a glare. "Don't lie... You know I could-"

"ALEXIS!" Came a shout from Aaron. "Get the kids and get down here! NOW!"

Clementine was surprised.

Moments later she heard Alexis rush out the bedroom, followed by a knocking on the door.

"Clementine, you in there?" Alexis asked.

Josh sighed and opened the door. "What's going on?"

"What the hell were you doing in there?" Alexis inquired.

"Nothing…" Josh said. "She was scared to be alone."

"We have a problem…" Alexis told. "There's a tornado coming right for us…"

Clementine's eyes widened.

"Fuck…" Josh muttered.

* * *

They all took shelter in the basement. The children clutching tightly to their guardians.

Molly rubbed Clementine's back as the young girl whimpered fearfully. Deanna was clutching to her father while little Evette was in Alexis' lap, clinging to her older sister.

They sat in silence until the loud roaring of the tornado finally passed them. There was obvious damage done to the farm, Aaron just hope it wouldn't be too bad.

Eventually the group feel asleep.

* * *

The wake of the storm was as horrible as the storm itself. Molly was awoken in the early morning, with little Clementine leaned against her. The woman made her way up the basement stairs and immediately saw the damage inflicted by the tornado.

The store had taken off more than half of the house, but that wasn't the worse thing. In the distance, Molly could see walkers, an entire herd of walkers, surrounding the house.

"Fuck…" Molly muttered. She rushed back down the stairs to wake Clementine. "Clem, wake up."

"Molly?" Clementine asked.

"We gotta go…" Molly told her.

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked.

"Geeks. A shitload of Geeks." Molly said.

"We gotta wake the others." Clementine said.

"We don't have time." Molly said.

"We can't just leave them!" Clementine replied stubbornly.

"What's going on?" Aaron asked.

"Look outside." Molly said, motioning towards a window.

"What?" Josh stood and took a look out the window. "Shit…"

"What do we do?" Aaron asked.

"We get the fuck out of here." Molly said. "Wake up the girls and-"

"No way we're getting through this…" Josh said.

"We can… We can get out if we cover ourselves!" Clementine piped up.

They could hear Josh muttering to himself. The boy was having a mental breakdown. He went over to a table and picked up some kind of bottle.

"Josh, what you doing?" Aaron asked.

Molly's eyes widened as she noticed the boy pouring some kind of gas on the ground, on the walls. She knew what he was planning.

"I'm not going out by them." Josh said.

Aaron frowned, trying to calm the boy again. "Son-"

"And I'm not going out alone." With that, Josh dropped a match and the place set ablaze.

Molly had no other choice, but grabbing Clementine and making an escape. She could hear screams from the family as she made a dash up the stairs.

Her heart clenched, as she thought of how that young boy just killed his entire family. If not, those walkers were surely going to finish them off.

Molly had to force her way pass the walkers. When they got outside Molly could see the flames from the basement, the smoke coming from the windows. She couldn't believe what had just happened.

She was practically dragging the crying Clementine with her. She made sure to get as far away from the farm as possible.

* * *

The two trekked through the forest in silence. Molly felt horrible for little Clementine, the child had seen some horrible shit in the past few months. Things children she never have to see. She'd been through things children shouldn't have to go through.

Molly only wondered how this was all going to effect Clementine's mental state. Never would she have thought that Josh would be capable of setting his house on fire the way he had. The kid had a mask that even Molly hadn't seen through.

She wondered what kind of damage all this crap did to Clementine's mind.

"Molly," Clementine suddenly sobbed. "I…I was afraid that... that we were going to d-die…"

"I know…" Molly said.

"I don't want to be around people anymore…" Clementine said.

"It's alright, Clementine. No more people…" Molly said. It was nice for a while, but it always ended up hurting in the end.

The two held each other for a few minutes. Then they continued on, with Clementine clutching her guardian's hand tightly.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help._**

* * *

Clementine had become a lot more anxious. Molly couldn't miss how clingy the young girl seemed. The little girl stayed glued to Molly's side, holding Molly's hand on every trip, no matter where they went.

Molly wondered if the traumatic experience a few months ago, had caused the child's sudden change in behavior.

Some days it seemed like the child was lost in thought. Almost in a trance like state and it was hard to snap her out of it.

Molly noticed Clementine was starting to look a bit tired as they walked. The woman let out a sigh, "Let's take a break."

"I'm okay..." Clementine said. "I can keep going."

Molly shook her head. "It's alright, Clem. No need to push yourself."

Clementine frowned before nodding.

Molly made sure the area was safe before the two of them stopped.

Clementine sat down beside a tree, lost in thought. She kept thinking about her former guardian... She had gotten him killed, and she would never forgive herself for that.

That was an experience that changed her for life.

Now with her birthday approaching fast, she couldn't help but think about Lee. She had lost the man two days after her ninth birthday, and she had no one to blame but herself.

Molly looked to the silent child, wondering what the little girl was thinking. "You okay?"

Clementine didn't respond.

Molly furrowed her brows, "Clem?"

Clementine jumped, locking eyes with the woman. "Y-Yes?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Molly asked again.

Clementine slowly gave a small nod. "I guess..."

"Guess?" Molly repeated.

Clementine simply shrugged in response.

"Alright then, kid." Molly said.

Clementine said nothing as the woman started searching through their bag.

"So... You hungry?" Molly asked, already pulling a can of beans from the bag.

"A little." Clementine said.

"Just a little? Come on, I bet you're starving. We haven't eaten all day." Molly said.

Clementine once again shrugged.

Molly sighed. She used a knife to open the can before offering it to Clementine.

Clementine accepted the can, "Thank you."

"No problem, kiddo." Molly said.

Clementine started to slowly eat the food. She didn't have much of an appetite. She had too much on her mind to be hungry. After only a couple bites, she offered the can back to Molly.

Molly took the can, looking the child over. "Okay Clem. Fess up. What's eating you?"

"What?" Clementine asked.

"You've been off for a while. Tell me what's wrong." Molly urged. She could tell something was definitely bothering the young girl for a while.

"Nothing..." Clementine claimed.

"Oh, come on. You're an open book." Molly said. "Tell me what's bothering you."

"I... My birthday's coming." Clementine mumbled. "If it didn't already pass…" It was hard to keep track of time when they were constantly on the road, focusing on survival.

"And?" Molly asked.

Clementine was quiet for a while.

"Clementine?" Molly called.

"Lee... Lee died two days after my birthday." Clementine said.

Molly's eyes widened.

"I miss him..." Clementine choked on her words, holding back a sob.

"Clem... I'm so sorry..." Molly said gently, her voice full of sympathy for the little girl.

"It's my fault he's gone. It's all my fault." Clementine said, whimpering a bit.

"Clementine, don't say that. It's not your fault." Molly said.

"It is..." Clementine sniffled. "If I never talked to that man, Lee would still be here. I should've never believed him. I was stupid."

"Clementine, stop being so hard on yourself. Lee wouldn't want you to blame yourself. That man took advantage of you. It wasn't your fault." Molly said.

Clementine just frowned, tears falling from her eyes.

"Don't blame yourself..." Molly placed the can down and hugged the crying child.

"I thought... maybe he was telling the truth... I just missed mommy and daddy so much and I thought maybe I could go find them and we could all get on the boat together..." Clementine said.

"It's not your fault, kid…" Molly said, rubbing the child's back.

Clementine sobbed in the woman's arms for a few moments.

Molly rubbed her back, comforting her the best she could.

Several moments passed before the little girl finally calmed down a bit feeling exhausted from her crying.

"Are you okay?" Molly asked the girl.

Clementine gave a tiny nod.

"You sure?" Molly questioned.

"I think so..." Clementine said, rubbing her tears away. "I'm just kind of tired now..."

"That's alright. You can take a nap, Clem." Molly told the girl.

"Thanks..." Clementine said with a small yawn. "I'm sorry… I just miss Lee and my parents, so much…"

"I know you do. I miss my family too." Molly said.

"You do?" Clementine asked.

"Of course." Molly said.

Clementine raised a brow, "But you're not crying… Is it because grown up don't cry?"

"Grown-ups cry. Everyone cries." Molly said.

"You don't cry." Clementine said.

"What makes you say that?" Molly questioned.

"I've never seen you cry before." Clementine said.

"Just because you've never seen me doesn't mean I don't cry." Molly said. "I've shed my fair share of tears."

"Really?" The child asked.

"Really." Molly said.

Clementine sniffled a bit before asking quietly, "...What was your family like?"

"They were nice." Molly shrugged. "My parents were cool. My sister and I were pretty close, despite the age difference. I'm quite a bit older than her. Ten years to be exact."

"Ten years?"

"That's right. But we were still inseparable." Molly said.

"That's good." Clementine smiled.

"Yeah. Believe it or not, I was a daddy's girl. I've always been such a tom-boy. Was never into dolls or the frilly shit my mom wanted to put me in." Molly said.

Clementine cringed a bit at the swear. "Swear..."

Molly chuckled slightly before continuing her story, "Dad was a hunter. And I was much more interested in that. Mom wanted me to be more girly, tried to put me in dresses and crap, but that just wasn't who I was. My dad took me on my first hunting trip when I was ten. He taught me how to use a gun, even though my mother didn't like it. The man was old fashion, he thought everyone needed to know how to fend for themselves. He continuously encouraged me to use a gun. And once my sister was old enough he taught her too."

"Is that why you know how to survive so well?" Clementine asked.

"I guess so." Molly replied, her chest sinking a bit as she thought about her family. "My dad took me camping, fishing... He was a man who loved the outdoors. Anything to do with nature really... He thought that were you were out there in the wilderness, you should survive on what you find. We'd pack up the essentials and hunt for the main course... he believed that you live off nature not store bought products when camping. Dad thought it was important to know how to survive in the wild. He said you couldn't call yourself a hunter otherwise."

"So… What happened to all of them?" Clementine asked.

"Our family had planned to go on a camping trip. It was a rare occasion because mom never really agreed to go. The day we were supposed to leave, Maya wasn't feeling well. She told us to go without her. I decided to stay home, and mom and dad could use the time for a date…" Molly said. "That was the same day the world went to shit. When we saw the news, I called to make sure they were okay. They told me they were just about to come home. They didn't… When we heard people were in Crawford, we went there to search for them, but we never found them."

Clementine frowned. "My parents went on a trip too… They never came home… But I saw them in Savannah as walkers…"

"I'm sorry, Clem…" Molly said.

"I'm sorry too…" Clementine replied. "What happened to your sister?"

"She was sick… She needs this medicine for her illness… When things at Crawford got bad, they stopped giving her the medicine… and… she took a turn for the worse."

"I'm so sorry, Molly…" Clementine frowned, feeling bad for the woman.

"It's not your fault." Molly said. "Anyway… Try to get some rest… We're going to get back on the road soon."

"Okay…" Clementine nodded, laying down.

They were silent for a while before the young girl spoke again. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure..." Molly said.

Clementine paused for a slight moment before asking, "…Remember the last group we met?"

"Of course." Molly said.

"...If I tell you something, promise you won't be angry." Clementine suddenly seemed nervous.

Molly noticed and responded, "I promise..."

Clementine frowned, averting her gaze. "It's not a good thing... It's really bad..."

"Talk to me, Clem. You won't be in trouble." Molly reassured the child.

Clementine swallowed nervously. "When we were back at the house... I... Umm... Josh touched my... my pee-pee..."

Molly looked confused for a moment. "What?"

"He touched me..." Clementine trailed her hand to her crotch. "Right here."

Molly looked horrified at that. "He what?!"

Clementine flinched. "Are... Are you mad?"

Molly quickly forced herself to lower her voice. "No... No, Clem. I'm not mad. Can you explain what happened?"

Clementine nodded. "We were playing hide and seek, and Evette and I... walked in on Josh. He was doing... I don't know... He was touching his thingy..."

Molly frowned, "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"Because, I thought I would be in trouble..." Clementine said.

"You need to tell me about stuff like this." Molly said sternly.

"I'm sorry..." Clementine said.

"What happened after you walked in on him?" Molly asked.

"He yelled at us and we left. We went back to playing, but the next day he told me come in his room. He said if I showed him my pee-pee then he would show me his..." Clementine explained.

"Did you?" Molly asked the child.

Clementine shook her head. "No... I was going to, but he touched me and I got scared..."

"Oh, Clem..." Molly sighed.

"Sorry..." Clementine lowered her head, looking guilty.

"It's not your fault... I should've been paying more attention..." Molly said. "I'm just glad nothing else happened to you."

"Like what?" Clementine asked curiously.

Molly didn't answer.

"What else could've happened?" Clementine asked.

Molly hesitated before speaking, "I guess you need to know eventually..."

"Know about what?" Clementine questioned.

"Know about sex..." Molly said.

Clementine drew her brows together at the new word. "Sex? What's sex?"

Molly spent the next half hour explaining to the little girl about the birds and bees.

Once she finished her explanation, Molly asked the girl, "Do you understand?"

"Yes... I think so..." Clementine said. "Did Josh want to do sex with me?"

"I don't know... But you shouldn't let anyone touch your private area." Molly said. "You're way too young. Sex is a thing adults do when they're in love."

"Okay..." Clementine said. "Umm... What about you?"

"What?" Molly asked.

"Have you done sex?" Clementine asked.

"That doesn't matter, Clem. What matters is that you don't do it until you're an adult... And no one should ever touch you without permission."

"Oh... Okay, Molly." Clementine said. "Was that what you meant when you said those prisoners could do worse to me?"

Molly didn't want to lie to the child… Therefore, she was honest. She nodded.

"That's scary..." Clementine mumbled, shuddering a bit.

"It's alright. I want you to be aware of it, not scared of it. And know you never have to do anything you don't want to." Molly said. "Got it?"

"Yes..." Clementine said.

"Good." Molly said. "If you ever need to ask or tell me something, I want you to know you can talk to me."

"Okay... Thanks Molly." Clementine said, although she felt a bit awkward about the new information she just heard.

"Of course, kid." Molly said. "So... How are you holding up otherwise?"

"Okay... Kind of..." Clementine said.

"Yeah... I know what you mean." Molly agreed.

Clementine let out a sigh. "I just... I didn't know the world could be so shitty."

Molly's eyes widened while Clementine gasped, realizing what she said.

The child began to stammer, "I... I... That was because of you..."

"Nope. You said it." Molly said with a chuckle. "It was only a matter of time anyway."

Clementine pouted. "I can't believe I said that."

"It's not a big deal." Molly shrugged.

"Yes, it is. It's a really big deal." Clementine said. "I said a swear... I'm going to have to clean my mouth out now."

Molly laughed some more. "You're overreacting. I'm telling now, those swears will slip more often than you think. Might as well get used to it."

Clementine pouted even more. "I'll never say a bad word again."

"We'll see..." Molly simply replied with a smirk. She knew kids picked up what they heard, and she was also well aware that her language was far from clean. She would give it a few months before she started hearing Clementine swear on a regular basis.

Red faced and upset with herself for swearing, Clementine started throwing Molly a lecture about why she shouldn't use bad words.

Molly just rolled her eyes, and pretended to listen to the kid. It was nice to see, Clementine was feeling less stressed after talking. Maybe the child just needed to get those things off her chest.

Still, Molly couldn't help but feel a bit like a failure after hearing what happened with Josh… She vowed that she would be a guardian. No one would lay a finger on Clementine. Not if she could help it.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Thanks to gaarakingofthesand for the help.**_

* * *

"Molly, where are we going?" Clementine's voice asked.

They had been walking so long, and the little ten-year-old was starting to feel tired.

"I'm not sure yet… Somewhere safe." Molly said. "We'll figure something out, kid."

"Okay…" Clementine said.

"Are you holding up okay?" Molly asked the child.

"Yeah. I'm just a little bit tired." Clementine said honestly.

"I know you are, Clem… We'll make a stop soon." Molly said.

"Okay. We've just been walking for so long…" Clementine muttered.

"Well, you know we can't stay in one place for too long. Hopefully we'll be able to find a safe place soon."

"Yeah… I hope we do…" Clementine said with a sigh. "I'm sorry we always have to stop because of me…"

"Hey, it's not a big deal. You are still growing, and we have been walking for a long time." Molly replied. "I think we could both use a break."

"Soon?" Clementine asked.

"We'll see. Just bear with me, Clem. I'm doing the best I can." Molly said. "It's not easy for me either."

Clementine frowned. "I… I know. I'm sorry. I just-"

Molly held up a hand to stop the young girl.

Clementine looked confused until her ears caught the sound of gunshots.

"Damn it…" Molly muttered. "Clem, stay close."

The little girl gave a nod.

The two peeked through the trees to see a man surrounded by geeks.

Clementine gasped. "We have to help him."

Molly started to protest, "Clem-"

Clementine interrupted her. "Please! Molly, we can't just leave him…"

Molly let out a sigh. She knew if she walked away Clementine would never let her live it down. "Alright… Alright. But you make sure to stay close to me. Don't leave my side, got it."

Clementine nodded. "Okay. I'll stay close, I promise."

"Good." Molly said.

Slowly the two started to head in the direction of the gunshots.

Molly pulled Hilda out while Clementine armed herself with a pocket knife.

Molly immediately started taking out the geeks.

Clementine kept a grip on her knife just in case the geeks got close. She killed a couple of the undead that tried to attack her.

Eventually, the geeks were all dead.

Molly took a moment to catch her breath before looking to Clementine to make sure she was okay.

The child was fine. She just appeared to be a bit frightened by all the zombies.

Molly looked to the stranger whose eyes were wide. "Are you okay?" Molly asked the man.

The man gave no response.

"You're hurt!" Clementine exclaimed, pointing to the man's bloodied pants leg.

Molly looked to the wound, furrowing her brows. "Are you bit?"

"No…" The man said. "This happened earlier."

"How?" Molly asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Leaving town, climbing a fence." Was the man's vague response.

"There's a town nearby?" Molly asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah. I'm never going back there. Fuck that place…" The man said.

"Why not?" Clementine asked.

"Because I'm not. That place is fucked." The man said.

"Is it bad?" Clementine asked.

The man just frowned in response.

Molly raised a brow, but didn't ask him to explain further. "I can probably treat your wound, if you want." She offered.

"I'd appreciate it." The man said.

Molly gave a nod and went to grab the supply bag which she had placed down when killing the zombies.

"Does your leg hurt much?" Clementine asked, inching her way toward the stranger.

"No… Not much…" The man said.

"That's good. Molly will make you all better. She always helps me when I get hurt." Clementine said.

The man stayed silent for a moment before sighing. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Clementine asked, a confused look on her face.

"For this." The man grabbed the child's hair, and turned her around.

Clementine let out a pained yelp, she began trembling as the man pressed a gun to her head.

Molly was searching through the supply bag, when she suddenly heard Clementine's cry. Without hesitation, she scooped the bag up and ran towards the area when she had left Clementine.

The woman immediately noticed the man had a gun pressed to her girl's head. "Let her go!"

"Not happening. Give me all your supplies." The man said.

"Let my girl go." Molly demanded.

"Supplies first!" The man snapped.

Molly glared at him before tossing the supply bag. "Now let her go."

The man roughly shoved the child forward.

Clementine stumbled before quickly regaining her balance. She ran towards Molly, hugging the woman.

The man was gathering what bit of supplies had fallen out of the bag when Molly had tossed it.

Clementine was just calming down, when she noticed her guardian take hold of her gun. The ten-year-old's eyes widened as Molly aimed the gun.

"No!" The child shoved Molly's arm, just as the woman had pulled the trigger.

The man looked up, startled. He quickly grabbed what supplies he could and then ran off, like a scared rabbit.

"Damn…" Molly grumbled. She lowered her gun and turned to the little child beside her. "Clementine, what the hell did you do that for?"

Clementine crossed her arms, a frown on her lips. "You were going to shoot him!"

"Of course, I was!" Molly said.

"I don't want you to kill anyone…" Clementine said.

"That man held a gun to your head. He stole supplies from us. Supplies we need! Don't defend him!" Molly said.

"I… I don't like seeing people die…" The child said, eyes filling with tears.

Molly sighed, "I know. I know, Clem. Sometimes we don't have a choice though."

The child didn't give a response. She was tired of seeing people die. It was making her feel sad. She choked back a sob.

"Don't cry…" Molly said, pulling the child into a hug.

Those words only encouraged tears to drop. Molly comforted the child until she calmed down.

Once the girl's tears had stopped, Molly took the young girl's hand. "Come on. Let's get moving."

"Okay…" The girl didn't bother asking where. She didn't care at the moment. She was too tired to care.

* * *

A while passed before they finally stopped.

Molly recalled how the stranger from before had mentioned a town. He had spoken about the place as if it was dangerous, but considering he had held a gun to a child's head and had stolen from them, after they saved his life, there was no telling if he was actually kicked out of that place for a similar offense or if he had left on his own because it truly was bad there.

Molly wondered if the town was worth checking out or not.

Molly glanced down to the silent child at her side. Clementine was half asleep, leaning comfortably against her.

"You okay?" Molly asked the girl.

"Yeah…" The girl mumbled with a small yawn.

Molly continued to debate on if going to this town was a good idea or not. She had promised Clementine no more groups, but if there was a chance to get Clementine to a safe place, she needed to take it.

Molly felt the young child snuggled closer to her.

The woman made up her mind. Come morning, they were going to that town.

* * *

The trip took less than half a day. When they arrived at the town they were surprised, the town was the biggest they had seen in a while. The many buildings were in good condition.

The town looked untouched, normal… Maybe that was what made the place seem so eerie. It was so ordinary, which ironically made it bizarre. Especially in a world where everything had gone to shit.

Around the town was a large fence, a couple people stood guard among the wall by the gate.

As Clementine and Molly approached the gate they were immediately checked for weapons.

The guards explained that in order to enter the town they would have to surrender their weapons. Molly was hesitant, she didn't want to give up their sources of protection, but eventually she gave in and she and Clementine handed their weapons over.

All except for Hilda, which Molly refused to give up.

"Ma'am, that too." A guard held his hand out to take the weapon.

"Not happening." Molly shook her head. "Hilda stays with me."

"But anything that can be used as a weapon must be confiscated and-"

"She's a gift, okay? She's a gift from someone really close to me that passed away. Please, let me keep her." That wasn't true, but the men seemed to buy her lie.

"Alright then. Just make sure to put it away... We don't allow civilians to carry weapons. There's no need for it here."

"I will." Molly said.

"Good." The guard said.

With the inspection complete, the second guard spoke. "Come, you should meet our mayor. He should know of your arrival."

"Alright." Molly said, taking Clementine's hand.

Walking through the town, Molly and Clementine saw many things that reminded them of before, from market placed to a man who looked "homeless" sitting on the ground.

Molly couldn't help but wonder what kind of town this was.

"I'm sure you and your girl will like it here." The guard leading her spoke, as if reading her mind. Or maybe he had noticed her expression.

"I take it we're not your first newbies?" Molly asked him.

"No… We've had quite a few in the past few months." The guard explained. "Most of the people, were members of this town from before. Our town does welcome new residents though, but you must be cleared with the mayor first."

"Okay." Molly said. She looked around, noticing a couple children kicking a ball around. "This is a nice place. And that fence must be pretty good defense for the geeks. Ever have any problems here?"

"Other than a rowdy citizen once in a while, not much." The guard said.

"What about the geeks, have any ever gotten in?" Molly asked.

"The what?" The guard asked looking confused.

"You know, the dead… or whatever you call them." Molly said.

"I apologized, ma'am, I don't have any idea what you're talking about." The guard said.

"You're kidding, right? Those things outside. The rotting corpses that go around eating people." Molly said.

The guard looked to the woman as if she had grown two heads.

"You seriously don't know what I'm talking about?" Molly questioned.

"No ma'am. Sorry…" The guard said.

Molly was surprised to hear that. The walkers had been around for over a year. There was no way this man knew nothing about them.

She didn't press the issue further.

The man led her to a house before stopping. "Here we are." He gave a knock at the door.

After a while a tall middle-aged man opened the door.

"Sir, we've got new arrivals." The guard said.

"I see." The mayor extended his hand to Molly. "How do you do, Miss? It's a pleasure to meet you."

Molly shook his hand. "Likewise."

"Well, come on inside. We can talk." The mayor said, ushering them inside.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The mayor said. "My name is Ernest Ross. I'm the mayor of this town."

"I'm Molly." Molly introduced herself as well. "This is Clementine."

Clementine gave a shy wave, but said nothing.

Molly noted the child seemed nervous as she sat there, her eyes darting between the furnishings of the house and out the window.

"Nice to meet you both." The man said again. "Why don't you have a seat." He motioned towards a comfortable looking couch.

The two took a seat on the couch as the man sat in an arm chair across from them

"So… Where are you to coming from?" Mayor Ross asked.

"We've done a lot of traveling… Just searching for a safe place…" Molly said.

"Aren't we all…" Mayor Ross said. "If you were to ask me, I would definitely say this place is safe. Safer than any other place around."

"You know about the geeks though, right?"

"The dead?" The man asked. "Of course, I do…"

"The guard who brought us here didn't seem to know about them." Molly said.

"I'm not surprised. Most of the people who lived here before, don't know much about the outbreak. Many of them haven't left the town since." Mayor Ross explained. "Any newcomers, we have them make an oath not to tell the townsfolk about the things they've witnessed or experienced out there."

"Wait… So not even the guards know about the geeks?" Molly asked.

"Some of them do." Mayor Ross said. "The young man who brought you here is one of our newer guards. Please excuse his inability to answer any questions you may have had."

"You mean to tell me, you haven't had any problem with the geeks getting into this place?" Molly questioned.

"Not inside. We've had a few stranglers nearby, but it's never been a big issue." Mayor Ross said.

"How come the people don't know about the geeks?" Clementine suddenly asked.

"Well… They know very little about them. Everyone knew that the outbreak was happening when this started, the main assumption here is our town is quarantined so no one can leave. Obviously, they believe the government is dealing with the "sick people"…" Mayor Ross said.

"In other words, you're lying to these people." Molly said.

"I'm doing what I must to ensure the safety of these people. When people are scared, they react badly, and that causes bad things to happen. If I have to lie to people to keep this place from falling apart then that's what I'll do." Mayor Ross replied.

Molly frowned at that. "And you want us to do the same?"

"I want you to give me your word that you won't talk about the "geeks" or whatever you can them." Mayor Ross said.

Molly sighed. "And if I don't?"

"I'll have to ask you both to leave. I don't want to do that, but I can't take the risk of you tarnishing this town's safety." The Mayor said.

Molly fell silent for a moment.

Clementine looked to her guardian, wondering what her response would be.

"Can I ask you something first?" Molly asked.

Mayor Ross gave a nod. "Of course."

"Have people ever… wanted to leave." Molly asked, remembering that man who had stolen their supplies.

"Well… Anyone is allowed to go as they please, getting back in however isn't as easy as it is to get out. We take risk everyday, and in taking those risk, we have to be well guarded…" Mayor Ross said.

"Okay…" Molly said after a while.

"Now… your answer?" Mayor Ross asked.

"If I agree, we can stay here." Molly asked.

"That's correct. I'll inform you of our town's procedures once I have your word." Mayor Ross told her.

Molly thought for a moment, on what to say. Eventually she sighed, "Alright… I won't say a thing to your people."

"I need your girl's promise too." The man said.

"I promise not to say anything too…" Clementine said.

"Good… Going back on your word may result in a… consequence." Mayor Ross said.

"We understand." Molly said.

"Thank you…" Mayor Ross said with a smile of satisfaction. "Well, Molly, Clementine, welcome to our town."

"We appreciate it…" Molly said.

"Like any other town, we have our rules. The same laws, and rules that would apply to life before the dead started walking, those laws also apply here." Mayor Ross said. "Breaking those laws can end in major punishment…"

Molly said nothing, she just nodded her understanding.

"We give each resident a starter home, as well as a week's worth of supplies to live off, from there you'll have to find a job to supply for yourself."

"And… How would I go about getting a job?"

"You'll have to interview for it like everyone else." The mayor simply said.

Molly raised a brow. "Interview?"

"That's right." The man replied.

She scoffed. "Should I bring my resume too?"

"That would certainly help." Mayor Ross responded with a straight face.

Molly sent him a look, wondering if he was being serious.

"I'm just joking." The man said. "I'm sure you find a job in no time."

"What about me?" Clementine asked.

"You'll be attending school with the other kids, little missy. An education is important afterall." The man said.

"Do I have to?" Clementine asked looking to Molly.

"Yeah, Clem. Don't worry. You'll probably enjoy it." Molly said.

"Okay…" The child muttered.

"That's about it." The mayor said. "Any questions?"

"Not at the moment." Molly said.

"Well, if you have any feel free to let me know." Mayor Ross said. "I'll have one of the guards take you to your temporary home."

"Okay then…" Molly said.

* * *

The temporary home was nothing like Molly had expected. The place was filthy and nothing more than a small shack, but it was still better than nothing.

As soon as they opened the door, they were met with darkness, dust and cobwebs.

Clementine ended up walking right into one, and the child immediately freaked out.

Now Molly was getting the remains of the web off the girl. "Alright… I think I got it all."

"Thanks… That was so gross." Clementine said.

"It's just a cobweb, Clem." Molly said with a slight chuckle.

"But it was on me…" Clementine frowned. "It's gross."

"At least it wasn't a spider." Molly said.

The girl's eyes widened and she shook her head, "Please don't talk about spiders… There might be some in here…"

"Okay, okay." Molly said, still amused.

The two of them took a seat on the mattress that lay on the ground.

"You okay?" Molly asked the child. "You've been really quiet today..."

"I don't know if I like it here." Clementine said honestly.

Molly sighed. "It's the best we got kid."

"I thought you said no more groups…" Clementine frowned.

"Well, this isn't exactly a group…" Molly said. "It's a town… A strange town, but a town nonetheless."

"I thought that we weren't going to be around people anymore…" Clementine said.

"Look, Clem… We can't just avoid people forever. Sometimes we got to take a chance…"

"We've taken a lot of chances…" Clementine said.

"I know, Clementine." Molly said. "But that's what life is about, taking chances."

Clementine sighed. "Can we get some rest now?"

"Sure, kid…" Molly said.

They laid on the single mattress that was on the floor.

"Look, I promise everything will work out…" Molly said to the child.

"You can't promise that." Clementine said.

"Okay… you're right. I can't. But I can say if something goes wrong, we'll leave immediately."

"Are you sure?" Clementine asked.

"Of course." Molly said. "Try not to worry too much… If everything goes well, we might be able to stay here."

"Maybe…" Clementine said.

"I know it's not the greatest, but beggars can't be chooser." Molly said.

"What does that mean?" Clementine asked.

"You got to do with what you get." Molly explained.

"Oh… Okay…" Clementine said.

"Try to get some rest, kid."

"Okay, Molly." Clementine said, closing her eyes.

* * *

Clementine never thought she would feel the anxiousness of going to a new school again. Days had passed and she still felt uncomfortable in the town. Even more so, now that she found herself in a room full of children she didn't know.

She had begged Molly not to make her go, but the woman told her, if they were going to stay at the town they would have to adapt to the town rules.

So… here she was. Being introduce to the class by the teacher.

The kids were kind enough. The teacher was okay. It was just like a regular school.

It made her miss her old life…

* * *

When Mayor Ross had told Molly they she would have to interview for jobs, the woman had hoped he was joking. Job hunting was hard enough before the apocalypse, but now she had no choice but to find a job to support her and Clementine.

She wondered how to go about getting an interview in the first place. She decided she would pay Mayor Ross a visit to ask him.

As she walked, she was suddenly drawn from her musing by a yell.

She wasted no time in rushing towards the source.

What she saw made her stomach drop.

The young guard from yesterday, was outside the gate, his arm in the strong hold of one of the geeks.

Molly rushed forward and used Hilda to kill the creature. She then looked to the shaken up young man. "You alright?"

"It… It bit me… It bit me…" The young guard stammered.

"Oh shit…" Came another voice.

Molly looked to the older guard who had ran over.

"It bit me!" The young guard exclaimed.

"It… It's okay… We'll get you to the doctor… She'll know what to do." The older guard wrapped his arms around the younger guard's shoulders. "I'll take it from here ma'am."

Molly watched with concern as the two walked away.

* * *

Days had passed and they still felt uncomfortable in the town.

Sometimes at school it felt hard to breathe. Clementine had decided she didn't like the school. It wasn't like her old school…

She missed her old teacher, her old friends, her old life…

Her teacher Mrs. Moore was nice to everyone, even the bullies in class. She never yelled. She never made Clementine go out to recess if she didn't want to. She'd let the child stay in the classroom and draw while she worked on grading or read her book.

Her new teacher… She wasn't very nice. She wasn't exactly mean either. She just made Clementine confused. On the first day of class, she told Clementine to tell them about herself. So, the girl did, going into detail. And her new teacher, Miss. Joni quickly turned red face, telling her that was enough.

The next day she forced Clementine into a time out for talking about the geeks. Clementine was confused as to why the people pretended the geeks weren't real.

She was confused about a lot of things. She didn't understand the warm for in the cafeteria at school. She didn't understand why everyone once again paid for things using money… It was so much to take in.

Having a dinner which consisted of canned food was a norm for Clementine and Molly. Clementine couldn't help but feel like an outcast in a place where everything was so normal.

"You okay?" Molly asked, noticing the child appeared lost in her thoughts.

"Yeah…" Clementine said. Molly had told her to bear with her, so that's what Clementine would do.

* * *

Molly hadn't expected the guard, who she now knew as Cordell, to tell her the Mayor wanted a word with her immediately after dropping Clementine off to school.

She was even more surprised by what the Mayor had to say. "I heard about your extraordinary skills… How you took out all those creatures on your own…"

"It wasn't a big deal." Molly said.

"But it was. You'd make a good guard." The Mayor said.

"Really?" Molly asked.

"Yeah. We could use a replacement anyway." The Mayor shrugged.

"What happened to the guy that got bit?" Molly questioned.

"We… took care of him. Don't worry." The Mayor said.

"You killed him?" Molly said.

"I prefer to say, "eased his suffering"." Mayor Ross said.

Molly was a bit disturbed by how calm the Mayor was.

"So how would you like the job? It pays well…"

Molly was quiet for a moment before saying, "I'll take it."

"Wonderful. I'm sure you'll do a great job."

* * *

Guard duty was a simple enough task. Each of the guards were allowed to carry a gun, although Molly avoided using it. Gunshots always brought more dead.

The job made her good money, quick enough for her and Clementine to move out of that little shack and into some place more comfortable.

She had taken the day shift, so her hours would be over by the time Clementine got out of school. So usually she found herself standing guard with Cordell, who was actually good company. The older man wasn't blind about the geeks. He was well aware of what was going on in the world.

Things were going well so far. Clementine had even made a couple friends at school. Yet, Molly couldn't help but be concerned.

"That's the fourteen one in only an hour. We don't usually have so many come around, at least not in one day." Cordell muttered.

Molly furrowed her brows, "This isn't good. There might be a herd nearby."

"We'll have to tell Ross about this." Cordell said. "He'll have a plan."

"Are you sure?" Molly inquired. "Because if that plan is to sweep everything under the rug and pretend it's not happening, that's not going to work."

"Look, I don't always agree with the way Ross runs things either, but it's been working this long." Cordell said.

"Doesn't mean things will stay the same forever. If a herd gets in here, it could ruin everything." Molly said.

"I know. But we have to trust that Ross knows what he's doing. He has the people's best interest in mind." Cordell said.

"Well, for everyone's sake, let's hope there isn't a herd of geeks on the way." Molly sighed.

Cordell gave a nod in agreement.

"Sir, with all due respect, Molly and I have real concerns. The count for those things is going up by the day." Cordell said.

"And?" Mayor Ross said, looking uninterested in what was being said.

"And we're worried there might be a herd on the way…" Molly said.

"We'll deal with it when it comes." Mayor Ross replied.

"What?" Molly said.

"There's no point in getting everyone riled up. That's dangerous." Mayor Ross stated.

"No. What's dangerous is the fact that you're lying to these people." Molly replied.

"Come again?" Mayor Ross raised a brow.

"These people deserve to know the truth. What you're doing is worse than you think." Molly said.

"You both made a promise not to say a word. I expect you to keep that promise." Mayor Ross said.

"We can't just lie to these people." Molly said.

Mayor Ross sent her a glare. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave my office, both of you."

Cordell frowned. "But sir-"

The mayor cut him off. "NOW!"

* * *

No one would listen.

They were convinced that everything was fine. That the town was a safe haven. Molly knew better.

Each time she tried to speak to mayor Ross he only seemed to get angry and block her out.

The people of the town refused to listen to a word she said.

The only ones aware of the problem approaching seemed to be the guard and most of them were ignoring it. It didn't make any sense.

Molly didn't know how much more of this she could take. Each passing day only seemed to make her more anxious. And the fact that everyone wanted to pretend everything was great made her feel like she was going crazy.

Molly couldn't shake the feeling that something bad going to happen.

Clementine didn't miss how anxious her guardian seemed, but when she asked the woman what was wrong, Molly only told her not to worry about it.

However, when she woke up in the middle of the night and found Molly packing, she knew something was wrong.

"Molly, what's going on?" Clementine asked.

"Nothing Clem. Go back to sleep." Molly said.

"Did something happen?" The child asked.

Molly didn't respond.

Clementine frowned. "Molly?"

Molly sighed. "I just… I have a bad feeling…"

"Why?" Clementine asked. "I thought it was safe here…"

"I… I don't know… I just do." Molly answered.

"…So… Are we leaving?"

"I'm not sure yet…" Molly replied honestly.

"Oh…" Clementine said.

"I'll let you know…. Just… Just get back to sleep." Molly told her.

Clementine hesitated, but nodded. "Okay..."

* * *

The next day, extra guards were required to be on duty. The geek count was higher than yesterday…

Molly didn't like the look of things.

Molly decided their days here were done. It was time to move on. "We're leaving, Clem…"

"Now?" Clementine asked.

"Now." Molly nodded.

"But what about my friends. Can't I say goodbye first?" Clementine asked.

"No time." Molly said. "We got to move now."

The child frowned. "But it's night time… Did something happen?"

Molly sighed, "Just come on."

"Okay…" Clementine said.

With what supplies they had, the two left the house.

As they approached the gates they were stopped by none other than Cordell. "Where are you going?"

"We can't stay here. It's not safe." Molly said.

"I'm sorry, Molly. Ross said no one is allowed to enter or exit the town. Not until the dead pass." Cordell told her.

"The dead aren't going to pass. You know that." Molly said as she noticed the geeks lingering around the outside of the gate. Molly didn't understand why it was like talking to a brick wall with these people. "We're leaving."

"I can't let you do that." Cordell said. "This isn't up for discussion."

Molly shook her head. "You can't stop us. We're leaving."

"You're not." Cordell replied, taking hold of his gun.

"Watch out!" Clementine exclaimed as the man aimed a gun at her guardian.

Molly glared at him. Charging forward, she grabbed the gun. The two struggled over the weapon causing it to go off.

The sound of gunfire made Clementine's ears ring, but it also drew the attention of the nearby geeks.

They started banging against the gate and the response from the guards was to start firing more gunshots.

"Stop shooting, you idiots!" Molly said.

They weren't listening. They continued firing, until they began running out of ammunition.

With each shot that was fired, more geeks were attracted from the woods.

Panic started to set in for the guards.

"We need the Mayor!" One of the guards exclaimed. "He'll know what to do!"

The shots drew the attention of the towns people, who began to come outside.

As more and more of the hungry corpses stumbled towards the town the people started screaming in fear, which only made more noise, and attracted more geeks.

One of the guards had run off to get the Mayor.

Molly scanned around for an exit. She needed a way out, and the entrance was out of the question.

"Molly, what do we do?" Clementine asked.

Molly didn't response. She was still trying to figure that out.

"He won't come out!" The guard exclaimed, rushing back. "I can't get him to come out."

Molly wasn't too surprised to hear that. Mayor Ross was nothing but a coward. She felt the sudden urge to confront him.

"Come on." Molly took Clementine's hand and ran towards the Mayor's house.

She tried the door, which was unlocked. She entered the house and motioned for Clementine to take a seat on the couch.

The child did so.

"Wait here." Molly said.

Clementine gave a nod.

Molly walked through the house, searching for the Mayor. She walked around, calling the Mayor's name. She eventually found a room with a locked door. "Mayor Ross, open up! It's Molly!"

The Mayor gave no response.

Molly huffed and searched for something to pick the lock with. Pulling out a pocket knife, she shoved the knife into the key hole. Moments later she managed to get the door open.

She was surprised at what she saw. "What the hell are you doing?"

The man was on his knees, holding a gun to his head. He gave no response.

"I… I can't… I tried to keep these people safe… but I can't. This place is done…" Mayor Ross said.

"You don't know that." Molly argued.

"I do… I know it and so do you." Mayor Ross replied.

"You can't just leave those people out there. They're relying on you." Molly said.

"Do you hear that?" Mayor Ross gesture out the window to the screams and zombie groans.

"Of course, I do." Molly replied.

"How many do you think are out there?" Mayor Ross asked.

"It's hard to tell. I'm not going to try to get a head count." Molly replied.

Mayor Ross shook his head. "There's nothing I can do. If you want to help them, you do it."

"Fine..." Molly scoffed, yanking the gun from the Mayor's hand. "You're pathetic."

She knew she couldn't save everyone, but maybe she could do something.

She left the room, and headed back to Clementine.

* * *

Cordell's eyes were wide as they corpses. His gun clicked, indicating it was empty.

The fence was shaking now, as the zombies pushed against it.

He felt beads of sweat roll down his face as he shakily tried to reload his gun.

The creatures kept coming, there was no way they could handle all of them.

Suddenly, the army of zombies broke through the gate as more were fighting to get over the fence.

"Shit…" Cordell said, eyes wide with horror.

* * *

Molly quickly returned to the room and ushered for Clementine to get up.

"It sounds bad out there…" Clementine said, looking worried as she stood up.

"I know… Come on, we need to get moving." Molly said.

"Wait..." Clementine said. "I found something."

"What?" Molly asked.

"A bigger gun..." Clementine said. She jumped to her feet and went to grab the weapon off the table.

Molly was surprised to see the rifle. "That could be useful." She said, taking the gun. She checked the weapon for ammo, finding it was full.

She offered Clementine the handgun which she had taken from the Mayor.

Clementine hesitantly took it.

"Let's go. Stay close." Molly said.

Clementine gave a nod.

Molly took the child's hand and started out of the building. They could hear screams from the people. It was a massacre out there.

Molly used Hilda to take out as many of the geeks as she could. "Damn it…" Molly muttered. She grabbed Clementine's arm. "We got to go! Now!"

"But what about these people?" Clementine asked.

"We can't do anything for them." Molly said.

"We have to help them!" Clementine motioned to the townspeople.

Molly frowned at that. There wasn't much she could really do. Her hands were pretty tied at this point.

"Molly-" Clementine started, but was cut off.

"We can't, Clem…" Molly said.

"But…"

Molly stopped her again. "There's nothing we can do. We have to get out of here or we're going to die."

"She's right." Came a voice that made Molly flinch. Cordell.

"What the hell do you want?" Molly demanded.

"The same thing you do. To survive. You were right… The way to survive is getting out of here. I've tried to get the others to come, but they're convinced they can fight this out…" Cordell said.

"Shouldn't you be helping them fight?" Molly asked.

"No way we can handle of those thing…" Cordell said.

Molly shook her head in response. These people didn't truly care about anyone but themselves…

"We need to go…" Cordell said.

"Fine… Whatever." Molly said. "We got to go."

Men, women, and children were huddled together against the fence. A few of the guards we shooting and fighting the geeks with whatever weapons they had, but it was a losing battle. There were far too many zombies.

Molly noticed some of the towns people were trying to climb over the fence in a frenzy. People scattered in all different directions.

"We got to do something!" Clementine pleaded.

Molly sighed. "Alright..." She looked to Cordell, "Watch Clem."

"What are you going to do?" Cordell asked.

"I'm going to try to get rid of as many of those geeks as I can." Molly said.

"Okay..." Cordell said.

"Be careful, Molly." Clementine said.

"I will." Molly said to Clementine before looking to Cordell and saying, "Keep my girl safe."

Cordell nodded.

Molly took a deep breath and began climbing up to the roof.

Once she was on top of the roof, she took aim of the rifle and started firing shots at the zombies who had wandered closest to the women and children.

Cordell called at her that it wasn't worth it, but Molly's mind was too focused on killing the geeks to at least give these people a fighting chance.

The people were screaming bloody murder as the stared their nightmare in the face.

Molly remained focused despite the screams.

"Molly, we can't save them all. It's them or us at this point." Cordell said.

Molly felt her heart clench as she realized he was right. She slowly made her way down from the roof.

Clementine frowned as Molly tugged her along.

"So how do we get out of here?" Molly asked.

"There's a back entrance. We can get out through there." Cordell said.

Molly nodded. "Let's move."

The remaining towns people were locking themselves in their homes, believing they would be safe from the zombies.

Their screams of help made Molly feel useless. She followed Cordell to the back exit, the wooden gate was boarded shut.

"Break through that gate." Molly said. "I'll hold the geeks off."

Cordell started kicking against the gate trying to get it open.

Molly ran forward, attacking any nearby geeks.

Almost half the town was overrun by the dead.

Several moments passed before Cordell managed to get the wood off the gate. He opened the gate but before Molly could get to it, he started to close it.

"What the hell?" Molly snapped.

"You'll slow them down for me…" Cordell simply said. "Sorry."

With that, he ran off.

Molly glared at his back. "Asshole." She couldn't believe he tried using them as bait.

Molly kicked the gate open and grabbed Clementine's hand.

The child looked back at the geeks stumbling through the town. She hoped the remaining people would be okay, but she knew that was unlikely.

The girl held back tears as she and Molly broke into a run. She felt bad for the people, for the friends she made… They didn't deserve what Clementine knew was going to happen. She only hoped they would be able to fight to survive.

She couldn't help but wonder what her parents would think, what Lee would think. They would have stayed to help. Clementine only wished she could do the same...

Clutching tightly to her guardian's hand, Clementine kept running, refusing to look back.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

"Molly…" Clementine called to her guardian with slight hesitation.

Molly didn't miss the concern in the child's voice. "Yeah, Clem?"

"Do… Do you think the towns people are okay?" Clementine asked.

Molly was quiet for a moment. "I don't know, Clem… If they're smart, they'll know what to do." She wasn't going to lie and say yes.

"I hope they're safe…" Clementine said.

"Right now, we have to worry about ourselves. We need to find a safe place." Molly said.

"Okay…" Clementine said.

Molly couldn't help but feel guilty for what Clementine had been through. She didn't want the child to see so much violence, but she knew there wasn't much she could do to stop it. This was how the world was now.

The two made as much distance as could away from the town.

Molly noticed Clementine seemed exhausted. Molly wasn't surprised they had spent hours walking the night before and Molly had woken the young girl up at the first sign of light to keep moving.

Clementine gave a yawn, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Molly looked down to the child and offered to carry the girl. The woman wasn't ready to completely stop yet. Not until they found somewhere she was sure would be safe.

"I'm okay…" Clementine said.

"You sure?" Molly asked. "If you're feeling tired, I don't mind carrying you for a bit."

"I'm not a little kid anymore, Molly. Don't worry about me." Clementine stated.

Molly smirked at that. "You look pretty little to me."

"You know what I mean." Clementine said.

"Yeah. I do." Molly said. "But it's okay to let me know when you're feeling tired."

Clementine gave a nod in response. "Okay…" She had too much on her mind. She kept wondering about the people back at the town, if any of them made it out, if her friends were okay.

Feeling uneasy, Clementine walked alongside Molly, when suddenly her guardian stopped, holding a hand out in front of her.

"Molly?" Clementine called in confusion.

Molly shushed her, scanning the area. "Alright, seems clear. Let's rest here for a bit."

"We don't have to stop yet." Clementine argued.

"It's fine, Clem." Molly said, placing her supply bag down.

Clementine frowned, but took a seat.

"You hungry?" Molly asked.

"A little." Clementine said.

"Alright." Molly pulled out a can of beans. She opened up the can and offered it to the child. "Eat up, kid."

"Thanks… What about you?" Clementine asked, as she accepted the can.

"I'm fine." Molly said. "I'll eat later. I'm not going to let you go hungry…"

"I don't want you to be hungry either…" Clementine said.

"Alright, I'll eat whatever you don't finish." Molly said. "Now eat up."

Clementine agreed and started eating.

After they had finished the contents of the can, Molly allowed Clementine to rest for a bit.

The child had fallen asleep and Molly figured she'd give the girl an hour of two to nap.

The area was quiet. Molly listened to Clementine's breathing and the sounds of the animals that lived in the woods, when suddenly something else grabbed her attention.

She listened and made out the sound of footsteps approaching. Molly was immediately on her guard. She watched as a figure walked through the trees and was surprised at who she saw.

"Molly?" Cordell said.

Molly scoffed, "Didn't think I'd be seeing you again."

"I could say the same." Cordell said.

"What are you doing here?" Molly asked.

"Searching for supplies…" Cordell said honestly. His gaze fell to Molly's bag, "Got any?"

"Not for you." Molly said. "My girl and I need this stuff…"

"Can't you spare any?" Cordell questioned.

Molly raised a brow. "If I remember correctly, you wanted to use us to buy time to save yourself. Why should I help you?"

"I… I wasn't thinking." Cordell said. "You know I'm not like that, Molly…"

"I don't know anything…" Molly said.

"Okay then…" Cordell grumbled.

Molly got to her feet and drew her gun as she noticed him reaching for his. She aimed it at him. "The first time you aimed a gun at me, I let you walk away. Give me one good reason why I should do the same this time?"

"…Think about your girl… What will she say if you shoot me?" Cordell asked.

"She'll understand. Clementine has seen a lot of shit. And she knows shitty people like you exist." Molly replied.

Cordell sent her a glare. "What are you waiting for then? Pull the trigger."

Molly kept the gun aimed at him before lowering it. "You're not worth the bullet. Get out of here, and don't let me see you again. Because I won't hesitate next time."

"And if I don't?" Cordell asked.

"You must have a death wish then." Molly aimed the gun at him and pulled the trigger, the bullet whizzed pass him, causing him to flinch. "That's your last warning. Go."

The man took off with no hesitation.

Molly looked over to Clementine who was startled awake by the noise.

"What happened?" Clementine asked.

"Nothing, Clem…" Molly said.

"Why did you shoot?" Clementine questioned.

"It was just a geek…" Molly said. "Go back to bed."

"Okay…" Clementine said, though she was unconvinced, she closed her eyes and tried to force herself back to sleep.

Molly took a seat beside the girl again. She was sure Cordell wouldn't be coming back, but sometimes she hated what she had to do to keep her and Clementine safe.

This was not how she expected her life to be…

* * *

"Molly... I don't think this is going to work..." Clementine said, looking down at the dying flames of the fire.

"Just keep trying." Molly said, while taking inventory of how much supplies they had. They were definitely running low…

"I am..." Clementine said. "I'm freezing... I hope we don't have to be out here much longer."

"I hope not too, Clem." Molly said.

"Do you think it's safe in Wellington?" Clementine asked.

"Hopefully. At least safer than here if the cold really slows the walkers down." Molly said.

"Yeah. That'll be good... But walkers aren't really much of a problem... People are." Clementine said.

"You're right..." Molly said. "But you're smart enough to know who can be trusted and who can't."

"I guess..." Clementine said. "But trust doesn't keep anyone from getting dangerous."

"That's true, but we're a team, Clem. We have each other's back. I'll protect you no matter what." Molly said.

"Okay... Thanks, Molly." Clementine said.

Molly nodded and went back to sorting their supplies.

"Molly, do you think we'll see anyone we used to know at Wellington?" Clementine asked. "Christa and Omid, or Kenny, or Ben?

"Maybe... I don't know." Molly said.

"I hope they're safe." Clementine said.

"They might be... Just don't get your hopes up on seeing them again... Anything could've happened." Molly said.

Clementine lowered her head. "I know..."

"How's the fire coming?" Molly asked.

"Not good. The wood is really damp..." Clementine said. "And the rain keeps putting the fire out..."

"Let me take over." Molly said, making her way over to the young girl. She examined the wood, damp was an understatement. There was no way they'd be able to cook with how wet the wood was.

"See..." The young girl sighed. "Should we just wait?"

Months of surviving together had made Clementine much more independent. Molly was glad that the child was able to take care of herself. If they ever got separated she was sure Clementine would be okay.

Molly huffed. "This is ridiculous."

"I can wait..." Clementine said. "I'm okay."

"All we do is wait." Molly huffed. "You need to eat."

"WE need to eat. And we will." Clementine said. "I don't mind waiting."

Molly however shook her head. "Look, I'm going to look for more wood. You try to keep the fire going."

"Okay. Be careful." Clementine said.

Molly nodded, getting up and walking into the woods.

Clementine huffed as the rainfall completely put out the fire. The child got to her feet and headed over to her bag. She fumbled through her bag, searching for a lighter.

The girl felt her hand hit a piece of paper and pulled it out. She gasped as she noticed the picture of her guardian. Trembling slightly, she shoved the photograph into her pocket.

She reached back into the bag and dug through it again. She pulled out a drawing, made by her at the motor inn. Her heart sunk as she looked at it. It was Kenny, Katjaa, and her friend Duck.

Pocketing the picture, she resumed her search for the lighter. The child finally fished the lighter out and returned to the dead fire.

She lit a spare piece of paper to restart the flames and set it into the wood. "Better... But still not enough." She noted. The flames were too low. She'd need something to use as fuel.

Getting to her feet, the child searched around for some wood, eventually finding a log. She brought that to the fire and set it in.

She watched as the flames started to dance a little higher before jumping out of her skin as she heard a sudden noise.

The girl looking around taking a moment to process what she was hearing were voices, and they sounded agressive.

With her heart pounding, Clementine slowly made towards the direction of the noise. She had to find out what was going on.

"I'm telling you, it's just me." Came Molly's voice.

"Bullshit!" A man snapped.

Clementine peered through the trees and gasped in horror as she noticed her guardian was surrounded by three weapon wielding men.

The girl needed to help him. Without hesitation, she picked up a rock and threw it at one of the men.

"Molly, run!" The child exclaimed.

It was just the distraction Molly needed. As the man closest to her instinctively turned to the woods, Molly grabbed his wrist and elbow, forcing it back as she kicked the back of his knee. The man fell forward and Molly kept a grip on his arm until he dropped his gun. She quickly picked it up and aimed at the man who was approaching her from behind.

"Drop it!" Molly ordered.

The second man did so.

The first man yelped in pain as Molly continued to twist his arm.

"Good." The woman shot a bullet into the second man's knee causing him to fall to the ground. She then released the first man who gripped his arm in pain. She looked around noticing the third scavenger was missing.

Molly swore, realizing he must have gone after Clementine. Her assumptions were confirmed when she heard the child yell out, "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Molly felt her heart skip a beat and ran towards the sound of her girl's yell. She ran faster through woods, following the sounds of their yells.

Molly felt anger swell in her chest to the bursting point at what she saw. Little Clementine pinned to the ground. Molly met Clementine's gaze and noticed the girl's panicked expression. Molly rushed forward to yank the man off the child, but much to her surprise, Clementine kicked him off herself, right into the awaiting arms of a hungry walker.

Molly rushed to the young girl noting the fear in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Stay back!" Clementine exclaimed, trembling in fear.

"Clem it's just me. It's Molly." Molly said.

The child scrambled back and Molly noticed the girl getting closer and closer to the river. "Clementine stop!"

It was too late. The child fell into the river.

"Shit!" Molly said. She wasted no time jumping into the water to save the child.

The river carried them further and further downstream. Molly grabbed for Clementine as the rapid-flowing rivers carried them around a tight bend.

Sputtering and gasping for air, Clementine clung to her guardian.

Molly tried her best to keep both her own and Clementine's heads above the water which proved to be difficult.

The strong waves tossed the two around. Molly was finding it hard and harder to hold a grip on the child. She felt concerb flood through her as she realized the girl had lost consciousness.

Molly didn't know much time had passed before the power of the current finally lessened. Eventually she was finally able to swim to the river's edge, pulling Clementine with her.

She laid the young girl on the ground and checked her breathing, thankful that she was.

Molly sighed knowing Clementine would probably catch a cold if she didn't get her out of the wet clothes. Unfortunately, she had nothing else to dress her in. And stripping the child wouldn't help because of how cold it was. Molly decided her best bet would be lighting up a fire.

She kept the fire dim the remainder of the night. Clementine remained unconscious.

Molly couldn't bring herself to go to sleep. Part of her wished she had killed those two scavengers when she had the chance. She kept worrying that they might be looking for them although she knew the chances of that were slim. She was sure they realized they choose the wrong person to mess with.

Hours went by and eventually morning came. Molly breathed in relief when Clementine finally stirred.

The child sat up and looked around, confusion clear on her little face.

"Hey there, Clem. Good to see you awake." Molly said.

"Whe.. Where are we?" Clementine stammered.

"We're on the other side of the river." Molly said. "Away from those assholes."

"Okay... Good." Clementine said. The child gasped as a realization dawned on her. "I left our bags! I'm sorry!"

"Hey, it's okay, Clem. The important thing is that you're okay." Molly replied.

"But... But all our stuff is gone..." Clementine said. "Because I was careless."

"That's not true. It's not your fault, plus you saved my ass, Clementine." Molly said.

"Okay..." Clementine said.

"Come on... We should get a move on." Molly said.

"Where to?" Clementine said.

"We'll see if we can find some supplies. And some food." Molly told the child.

"Okay. I hope we find some food soon." Clementine said forcing herself up. She felt her stomach give a painful growl and gripped it while uttering a small, "Damn it."

"We'll do our best to find some." Molly said.

Clementine just nodded in response.

The two of them started walking. Coming to a broken deck, Molly boosted the child onto it. She then pulled her own self up.

"Stay close to me alright." Molly said to the young girl as they once again started walking. She didn't know who or what could be in those wood.

"Okay." Clementine said.

They continued walking until they were startled by a rustling in the bushes. Clementine gasped while Molly took a protective stance in front of her. They waited for whatever was in the bushes to reveal itself and were surprised to see it was a dog.

"Easy boy. We're not going to hurt you." Clementine spoke up in a gentle voice. She glanced to her guardian and asked, "Can I pet him?"

"No." Molly said.

"But why not?" Clementine asked with a slight pout.

"We don't know if he's dangerous. He might bite you." Molly said.

"He's not going to bite me." The child said.

"You don't know that." Molly replied. She looked to the dog and took a slow step towards it. She checked its collar. "His name's Sam."

"Sam." Clementine repeated. "Nice to meet you, Sam."

Suddenly the dog barked and started to run off.

"Wait! Sam!" Clementine called. "Where are you going?"

"Forgot the dog, Clementine." Molly said.

"But I think he wants us to follow him." Clementine said.

"What for?" Molly huffed.

"I don't know. Only one way to find out." Clementine said.

Before Molly could get another word out the girl ran off towards the direction the dog had went. Molly groaned and quickly ran to catch up with the child.

Molly came upon a campsite and spotted Clementine who was petting Sam. "Clementine, you can't run off like that. And I told you not to pet the dog."

"But he's not biting me. He's nice." Clementine said. "Can we keep him?"

"Clem, no. We can barely feed ourselves as it is. How are we supposed to take care of a dog?"

"Please? I'll take care of him. I promise." Clementine pleaded.

"There's no way. Are you out of your mind?" Molly said. "We can't keep the dog."

"Why not? He needs us!" Clementine said.

"You know why." Molly said sternly. "We don't have the supplies or the time to deal with a dog."

"Please, Molly... Please?" The girl asked.

"I said no. Don't ask again." Molly replied.

Clementine's face fell. The child continued to pet Sam, while holding back tears. "He's starving... He'll die without us!"

"Animals are smart. He'll find food eventually." Molly said.

"What if he doesn't?" Clementine asked.

"He's not our problem, Clementine." Molly said.

"Maybe not yours... but I'm going to take care of him." Clementine said.

"Clem..."

"I'll feed him and look after him." Clementine said. "Just give me a chance, please."

Molly sighed. "Why are you so stubborn?"

"I guess I learned it from someone." Clementine said.

Molly shook her head. "Let's try and find some food."

"What about Sam?" Clementine asked.

"What about him?" Molly scoffed.

"He's hungry too." Clementine said.

Molly rolled her eyes. "If you want to feed him, that's on you."

"Okay." Clementine said.

"Come on, start looking." Molly said.

Clementine nodded. "Come on, Sam. Let's find some food."

Molly and Clementine begin searching the clearly scavenged area. After several moments of searching, Molly looked to a garbage can. She figured it would be the last place to check.

"Are you really going to look in there...?" Clementine frowned.

"We gotta check everywhere." Molly replied.

"You're right..." Clementine sighed. "Okay..."

Molly pushed up her sleeves and began to dig through the garbage. She felt her hand it a can and pulled it out. She examined it, finding it was a can of beans. "Bingo."

"That's great. Now we just need something to open it with." Clementine reached into her shoe to grab a knife but was startled as Sam began barking.

Clementine straightened up and look to the dog with confusion. "Sam, hush."

Molly furrowed her brows. This is exactly why she didn't want the dog. He was too noisy. She sent the child a look. "What's he barking at?"

"I don't know..." Clementine frowned. "What's the matter, Sam?"

The dog rushed over to a tree where he continued barking.

"Shh... We have to be quiet." Clementine said.

Molly rolled her eyes as the young girl tried to reason with the dog.

The two made their way over to Sam to see what he was barking at. They noticed a geek tied to a tree.

"It's okay! He's dead." Clementine said. "Look, you can see the bite... Looks like he tried to cut it out... But that never works. Ever..."

Molly sighed at the child's words. "Back up, Clem."

"I can handle this, Molly." Clementine said.

"You sure?" Molly asked.

"Yeah." Clementine said. "It's okay, Sam. We're smart, he's not. We're smarting than all of them." She picked up a tree branch. "Stand back, Sam."

Molly watched as the little girl struggled a bit to hold the heavy branch, but she managed to kill the walker after a few hits. "Not bad, kid..."

"Thanks..." Clementine said. "Do you think he had himself tied up... Or did someone force him?"

"I don't know... Not that it matters much now..." Molly said.

"Yeah... Poor guy..." Clementine frowned. She checked the man's pockets for anything useful. There wasn't anything. She then grabbed the knife that was stuck in his shoulder. She cleaned it off on her pants before checking it. "It's still pretty sharp."

"Good. Now let's get this can open." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and follow Molly over to a log. The two sat down and the child gave Molly the knife.

Molly opened up the can, hoping the food wouldn't make them sick. "Alright, kid. Eat up." She handed the can to Clementine.

Suddenly, the heard Sam whining.

"He's hungry, Molly..." Clementine said.

Molly huffed. "We'll give him what's left."

"But he's hungry now..." Clementine said. The child offered the dog some beans.

Sam however went for the can, knocking it to the ground.

"Hey! Don't eat it all!" Clementine grabbed the can quickly.

Sam gave a growl and jumped forward, biting the girl's arm and yanking her to the ground.

Clementine yelped and whimpered, trying to struggle free.

Molly quickly got to her feet and grabbed a nearby stick. She hit the dog's shoulders, but it refused to let go. Finally, she landed a blow on the back of the dog's neck causing it to yelp and release the girl.

Molly grabbed Hilda and turned to the dog.

"NO! Don't hurt him!" Clementine said.

"Clem-"

"Don't hurt him! Please." Clementine pleaded.

Molly sighed and let the whimpering dog go. She approached Clementine and helped the child up. She looked at the little girl's arm with concern. "Shit... This is going to need some stitches."

Molly picked the child up without hesitation and started away from the camp.

"W-What about Sam?" The girl asked.

"Forget him. He could've killed you." Molly said.

Clementine frowned, but she was in too much pain to protest.

Molly continued through the woods, hoping to find some place to fix Clementine's injury before the child lost too much blood.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Thanks to gaara king of sand for the help.**_

* * *

"Molly, my arm hurts, really bad." Clementine muttered, her voice sounding tired.

"I know, Clem. I know. I'm going to take care of it soon." Molly said as she continued walking.

"O-Okay..." Clementine said. "What happened to those bad people?"

"…Hopefully dead." Molly replied.

"You… you didn't kill them?" Clementine asked.

"I injured them. I wish I killed them." Molly said.

"W-Will they… look for us?" Clementine asked.

"I doubt it. If they do they have a death wish." Molly huffed.

Clementine fell silent for a minute, clenching her eyes shut as pain throbbed through her arm. She was starting to feel dizzy.

"Stay awake, okay?" Molly said.

Clementine just nodded.

"Next time I tell you something, you need to listen to me. Animals can get dangerous when it comes to food." Molly said.

"I-I'm sorry…" Clementine said.

"It's fine. You didn't know better. Sometimes it's easy to forget that you still have a lot to learn." Molly said.

"…I hope Sam's okay…" Clementine said.

"Forget the stupid dog, Clem." Molly responded.

"But…But he's all alone…" Clementine said. "That's… not a good feeling."

Molly noticed the child's speech was much slower than usually. The girl was losing a lot of blood, and barely had energy to engage in conversation.

"I know it's not. But we had no choice. That dog would've killed you, Clem." Molly said.

Clementine shook her head in disagreement.

"You don't think so?" Molly asked. "That's fine. I'm not going to argue with you, Clem. I don't regret leaving him."

"… He was nice at first…" Clementine said quietly.

"And then he turned on you. That's how animals are. People too nowadays. You can't trust anyone or anything." Molly said.

"I trust you." Clementine replied.

"That's different." Molly said. "I'm the one you can count on to throw you a lifeline. Too many other people will just leave you hanging. You know that by now Clem."

Clementine couldn't argue. Molly's words were true.

"Look, I don't mean to sound harsh, but… I just want you to understand why I do the things I do." Molly said. "The world isn't like it was a few years ago. And-"

Molly cut herself off as she noticed a few geeks up ahead. "Damn…"

"Molly?"

Molly put the child down, and noticed the look of fear that flashed in the young girl's eyes. "It's alright." Molly reassured the child.

Molly drew Hilda and started towards the geeks. There were more and more coming, Molly managed to kill several of them.

Clementine weakly leaned against a fallen tree. She groaned as her arm continued to ache. She noticed Molly struggling slightly as she took out the geeks.

Clementine looked around for an escape route, but an approaching geek caught her attention. The child gasped and tried to force herself to her feet. "M-Molly…" She called out, but her voice went unheard.

The child stumbled to her feet as the geek got closer to her. Clementine yelped as she was shoved to the ground by the creature and pinned beneath it as it tried to bite her.

Molly finally killed the group of geeks she was struggling with and glanced over to Clementine.

"Clem!" Molly exclaimed, rushing over. "Damn it!"

Before she could get there, a young man did, killing the geek that was attacking Clementine.

"Grab the girl and let's go!" An older man called.

Molly noticed the younger man pick the child up.

"Come on, kid. We gotta get." The younger man said.

"Whoa, hold on!" Molly called.

"We don't have time. We gotta move." The older man said. "Come on."

The men took off running and Molly had no choice, but to follow after them.

When they were a good distance away, they finally slowed down to catch their breath.

"I think… I think we're safe." The older man said.

They looked around the area before the younger man said, "Yeah…yeah. We're good." He glanced down to the barely conscious child in his arms and asked, "Hey, you alright?"

"She's fine." Molly answered for Clementine. "I'll take care of her."

The two men sent Molly a look.

"She doesn't look very fine to me." The older man said.

"Like I said, I'll take care of her." Molly stated.

"You weren't doing a very good job of that when we showed up and save her." The younger man huffed, hesitating to hand the child over.

"You saw how many geeks there were back there. I would've helped her if you hadn't shown up."

"Really, what's wrong with her then?" The younger man asked.

"Luke, that's enough… No need to be rude." The older man said.

"…Sorry, Pete… I just… The kid doesn't look too good." Luke said.

"What were you two doing out there?" Pete asked Molly. "You got a group or anything?"

"We're doing the same thing everyone else is doing. Surviving." Molly said. "It's just us. Been that way for a while."

"That must be tough…" Luke said. "Look, you girl's in bad shape. We're in a cabin not too far from here. We got a doctor with us who can take a look at her."

"I… I don't know." Molly didn't know these men. She didn't know how trustworthy they were. "Just hand her to me."

"She's not bit is she?" Pete asked.

"No. She's not." Molly said.

"Then come with us. It's better than being out here." Luke said. "The kid really needs some help."

Molly sighed before nodded. "Okay… You better not be lying…"

"We're not. I promise." Luke said. "Anyway, I'm Luke, and this is Pete."

"Molly." Molly introduced. "My girl's name is Clementine."

"Well, it's nice to meet you both. For now, we'll take you back to our group. We'll have our doctor look over your little one and maybe get her some food." Luke said, trailing his gaze to the child's bloodied shirt. "She looks like she could use some- OH SHIT!"

Before anyone could say a word, Luke dropped the young girl onto the group.

"What the FUCK is wrong with you?!" Molly snapped angrily at the man.

"I… You said she wasn't bit!" Luke shot her a look.

"What?" Pete said.

"She's bit! Pete, the kid's bit! FUCK! Fuck, fuck, fuck… What are we gonna do here…?"

"No…" Clementine muttered, clutching her arm. "It… It was a dog."

"I didn't see any dog, Clementine." Pete said.

"Come on, kid. Look, we just saw you with those lurkers back there!"

"Calm your ass down! It WAS a dog." Molly said. "I was there."

"That doesn't mean anything. You're probably just saying that to protect her." Luke said. "You expected us to believe that she was bit by a dog?"

"I can't remember that last time I saw a dog." Pete said.

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. Just look at it." Molly said.

"Yeah, and have her sink her teeth into Pete's neck? No way." Luke said.

"My neck? Why am I the one?" Pete asked.

"Cause I don't know a dog bite from a mosquito bite from a lurker bite, man." Luke said.

"It was a dog… really. His name was Sam… I… I want him to be my friend." Clementine mumbled.

Pete hummed in response, looking at the little girl for any signs that she was lying. "Alright… Let's see it."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, watch yourself." Luke said.

Molly rolled her eyes while Clementine sent Luke a glare.

"Hey, don't look at me like that. You're the one who's bit here." Luke huffed.

"Yeah, by a dog." Molly said.

Pete knelt beside the child and carefully rolled her sleeve up. He examined her wound.

"Is it uh… Is it like she says?" Luke questioned.

"Hmm…. It could be a dog. It's hard to tell." Pete said. "So… Where'd this dog go? The one that did this?"

"I left that stupid mutt at the camp." Molly said, crossing her arms.

"…Molly hurt him…" Clementine mumbled.

"Hurt him how?" Luke asked.

"She hit him… when he was biting me." Clementine answered.

Luke looked to Molly and asked, "You uh… You didn't hurt him too bad, did you?"

"All I did was get him off her. Clem comes first, not some stupid animal." Molly said.

Luke frowned at that.

"Clementine…" Pete called gently.

"Yes?" Clementine said.

"Are you telling us the truth? I want you to look me in the eye when you answer me." Pete said.

Clementine did so as she replied, "Yes."

After a moment Pete said, "Alright, Clementine. That's good enough for me."

"Well, what else was she gonna say." Luke sighed.

"I've got a good bullshit detector, Luke. That's why you can never beat me at poker." Pete said as he helped the girl to her feet.

"You don't always beat me at…" Luke trailed off and looked over to Clementine. "Alright, how can you be sure?"

"Well, I'm sure I ain't willing to leave a little girl in the woods to die when we got a doctor with us that can make a call. We can have Carlos take a look at it first." Pete said.

Luke frowned and said, "Nick ain't gonna like this. Not with what happened to-"

"You don't have to remind me of that, boy." Pete interrupted.

"Right… Sorry sir." Luke said.

Pete gave Luke reassuring pat on the shoulder before saying, "Come on."

"You good, Clem?" Molly asked as the child slowly stumbled after Luke and Pete. "You want me to carry you."

"N-No…. I can walk…" Clementine said.

"I don't think you should, right now." Molly replied.

"I want to…" The child said.

Molly sent her a concerned look as she noticed her sway a bit. "Clem…"

"I'm fine… I'm just… tired." Clementine muttered.

"Then let me carry you." Molly said firmly.

The child shook her head. "Don't worry about…" Clementine trailed off and Molly noticed the girl start to fall.

Molly acted quickly and caught the child.

"Shit… What happened?" Luke questioned.

"She okay?" Pete asked.

"She passed out. She lost a lot of blood." Molly informed.

"We're not far now." Pete said. "Cabin's right up ahead."

"Alright…" Molly said. She shifted Clementine into her arms so she could carry the girl and followed Pete and Luke in silence.

Before long they were standing in front of the cabin.

"I'll uh… Get Carlos." Luke offered.

"Good idea." Pete said.

"So…we can't come inside?" Molly asked.

"It's probably best if he checks the bite out here before we let you guys in." Pete said.

"Alright then…" Molly said.

Luke headed inside and Molly and Pete waited for him to returned.

Minutes passed before a few other people came outside.

"What the hell is going on? Who are they?" A pregnant woman demanded.

"Now calm down, Rebecca. I can explain." Pete said.

"Well, then get to explaining." Rebecca grumbled.

"Why the hell did you bring them here. Aren't we dealing with enough shit as it is?" A young man, armed with a riffle said.

"They needed help. The girl's hurt." Pete said.

"Hurt how?" A stocky man asked.

"She has a pretty bad wound on her arm." Pete answered.

"It's not a geek bite." Molly quickly said.

"Then what is it?" The stocky man asked.

"Like hell it's not!" The man holding the riffle snapped. "It's obviously a lurker bite, Alvin! Don't believe her lies."

"Nick, calm down." Pete said. "Everything's fine, boy. We need to give them the benefit of the doubt until Carlos takes a look at it."

"Don't you tell me that! Not with what fuckin' happened!" Nick hissed.

"Would someone mind telling me what the FUCK is going on here?" Rebecca inquired, looking annoyed.

"Now hold on, Rebecca." Pete said.

"We got this, don't worry." Nick said.

"Like hell you do." Rebecca sent Molly a cold look and asked, "Who are you working for? You're with Carver, aren't you?"

"We're not with anyone. My girl needs help, and they told me you guys had a doctor here." Molly said.

"She said she was bit by a dog." Pete explained.

"What, and you just believed her? You should've put her out of her misery right there." Rebecca said. "Dog bite my ass."

"I'd like to see any of you try. Because I won't hesitate to put anyone who threatens her out of theirs." Molly said.

"Excuse me?" Rebecca said.

Nick shot Molly a glare. "You want to say that again?"

"You heard me just fine. If anyone tries to hurt her, they'll regret it." Molly said.

"You should watch how you talk to a man with a gun." Nick said.

"You don't scare me." Molly took a step forward. "What're you going to do?"

Nick took a step back and aimed the weapon in her direction. "Stay back."

"Nick…" Pete said in a warning tone.

Nick ignored him. "Don't test me."

"Or what? You're gonna shoot me?" Molly said, drew Hilda while taking another step forward. "If you do, you better hope that gunshot kills me."

Much to their surprise, Nick did pull the trigger, however he redirected his aim to the ground by Molly's feet. "I said stay back."

"Keep your finger off the trigger, boy!" Pete snapped grabbing the gun from his nephew's hands. "She's got a child in her arms and you're shooting that thing at her."

"I shot the ground. I didn't hit her or the kid." Nick argued. "Anyway, she was threatening us!"

"Whoa! Whoa! What the fuck?!" Luke exclaimed, rushing outside.

"You idiot, every lurker for five miles probably heard that!" Rebecca snapped.

"You're the one tellin' me to fuckin' shoot them!" Nick said.

"Everybody just calm down for a second!" Alvin said.

Luke rushed up to Molly and quickly asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine." Molly said, putting her weapon back.

"What about Clementine?" Luke asked.

"She's needs a doctor... She's in and out of it..." Molly said.

"We got a doctor right here. He'll take a look. Now what the hell is wrong with you people? They just need help. This is a kid we're talking about." Luke said.

"Don't act like we're the ones being irrational because we don't buy this bullshit story." Rebecca huffed.

"Exactly. Their story makes no sense. Why are we even arguing about this?" Nick said.

"Let me take a look." Another voice spoke up.

"I take it you're the doctor?" Molly asked as the man stopped in front of her.

"That's correct." The man raised a brow for a moment the suddenly asked, "Where are the girl's parents?"

"They're not around... I'm all she's got and she's all I got..." Molly said. "It would mean a lot to me if you would make sure she's okay."

"I'll see what I can do." The man said.

He carefully rolled up the child's sleeve, causing the young girl to wince.

"Damn... That must've hurt..." Alvin commented.

Carlos looked at the wound. "Hmm…Whatever it was... It got her good."

Nick started pacing before huffing and approaching Luke, "This isn't how we do things man. When you're bit you get put down, end of story. I'm not going through this again."

"No one's suggestin' that." Luke said.

"We could take her arm off." Pete suggested.

"She's was bit by a damn dog. I'm not letting any of you lay a finger on her." Molly said.

"It's just a suggestion..." Pete said.

"Well, I don't appreciate it." Molly said.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to offend..." Pete said before turning back to his group. "Look, the kid weighs about as much as a sack of flour, we can take her if it comes to that."

Suddenly the door opened and a teen girl peeked out. "Who are they?" The girl asked.

"Sarah? What'd I say. Stay inside." Carlos grumbled.

The girl, Sarah, frowned and closed the door, heading back inside.

Carlos let out a sigh and walked over to the group.

"What do you think?" Alvin asked.

"Was it a lurker..." Nick questioned.

Carlos paused, almost as if he was thinking of what to say. "A bite like that… It... could be anything..."

"Hold up! Don't tell me you think a geek did this! You're a doctor." Molly said.

"I'll agree that it doesn't look like a lurker bite, but I don't want to take a risk on treating her just to have her die anyway." Carlos stated. "I need to look out for my daughter. And supplies are too valuable to waste."

"What are you saying?" Luke asked.

"I'm saying we have to wait." Carlos said.

"What?" Rebecca said.

"We put her in the shed and wait for symptoms of whatever is in her system to kick in..." Carlos told them.

"So, in other words, you want to wait for her arm to get infected? She's a kid. If she gets sick, she's going to have a hard time fighting that off." Molly said, eyes wide in disbelief at what she was hearing from this so call doctor.

"Carlos, the girl's in bad shape." Luke said.

"And we have all that stuff inside the cabin." Alvin added. "We could probably-"

"Alvin, she's not our problem." Rebecca said. "Carlos knows what he's doing."

"Right… We don't have a choice. We have to look out for our families first." Carlos said. "In the meantime, we can lock her in the shed."

"That's not happening. If you're not going to help, we'll just go." Molly said.

"We can't just take your damn word that the kid was bit by a dog. Who in their right mind would believe that?" Nick said.

Suddenly they heard a shuffling in the bushes. Everyone turned their attention to the area.

Luke drew his machete and slowly approached the bushes only to hear the bark of a dog.

"Well... I'll be damned." Luke said taking a few steps back as the dog moved from the bushes.

Clementine let out a little groaned and her eyes fluttered open, she looked around the area and her gaze fell on the dog. The child gave a tiny smile. "Sam..."

"Shit... I guess she was telling the truth." Alvin said.

"Yeah. That's the mutt that bit her. Does that settle things for you?" Molly huffed.

No one spoke for a while until Carlos sighed and said, "Come inside and I'll treat her arm." He glanced over to Sam. "The dog stays out here."

"I... stay with Sam..." Clementine mumbled.

"Clementine..." Molly said.

"Want Sam..." Clementine said. "He's... my friend..."

Carlos shook his head at the girl's innocent statement. He looked to Molly and said, "If he bites anyone, we'll do what we have to do."

Molly knew exactly what he meant by that. She nodded. "Fine by me."

Carlos nodded back in response. "Come on."

He turned to head to the cabin. Molly wordlessly followed.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

As they got into the cabin Carlos told Molly to place the barely conscious little girl on the couch.

Molly did so and Carlos went off to retrieve his medical supplies.

"You okay, Clem?" Molly asked the girl.

"M-Molly?" Clementine called in a weak voice.

"Yeah, kiddo?" Molly replied.

"…Is Sam okay?" The child's question made Molly sigh.

Still, Molly responded, "He's fine. You're my main concern right now."

"My arm… it hurts…" Clementine mumbled.

"I know… The doctor's going to fix you up…" Molly reassured.

"Okay…" Clementine mumbled, eyes falling shut.

Molly glanced over to Sam who was sniffing around the room, taking in his surroundings. She didn't know why Clementine was so concerned about that stupid mutt, especially after he bit her.

"I can't remember the last time I've seen a dog. This is crazy…" Luke said.

"We were just as surprised as you to see this mutt." Molly said with a huff.

"I bet…" Alvin said. "He's not always aggressive, is he?"

"Well, we haven't been around him too long…" Molly said. "He seemed okay at first. She had some food, and he wanted it, that's why he attacked her."

"Which is exactly why it's not safe to keep him here. For all we know he could turn on one of us…" Rebecca said.

"I doubt he will." Molly said.

"And what do you know?" Nick asked.

"Most animals can get aggressive if you take food from them, it doesn't usually happen unless they're really hungry." Molly said.

"So you're saying it's okay that the dog attacked your girl?" Rebecca inquired.

"No. It's not okay. Just like it's not okay for you people to attack my girl." Molly replied. "I'm saying animals get defensive the same way people do."

Rebecca just huffed, crossing her arms in response.

A few moments passed before Carlos came downstairs with a bag of medical supplies.

"Alright… I'm going to need you to hold her steady." Carlos said

"Okay…" Molly agreed.

Carlos placed his medical bag down and approached the dazed child. He opened up a bottle of peroxide and soaked a cloth in it. He then took hold of the young girl's arm, feeling her tense up a bit.

He started cleaning the girl's wound, not even reacting to her pained whimpers and gasp.

Once he had finished he placed the cloth down and picked up a needle and thread.

"Hold on, aren't you going to numb her first?" Molly asked, furrowing her brows.

"We're low on supplies as it is. I'm doing what I can." Carlos simply replied.

"Carlos, you can't be serious. The kid's already in pain." Luke said.

"She'll have to deal with it… A little more won't kill her." Carlos replied.

"This is ridiculous." Molly said.

"He's doing you a favor. He doesn't have to help her at all." Nick grumbled.

"Yeah, and I appreciate that, but it's more like half a favor right now." Molly stated.

"Regardless of your complaints, my mind isn't going to be changed. We have limited supplies. I have to save what we do have for our group members." Carlos said.

"She's a little kid, Carlos. She won't need that much medicine." Luke argued.

"Every little bit counts." Carlos replied to Luke.

Luke frowned and started to protest again. "But-"

Rebecca cut him off. "Luke, enough. Carlos knows what he's doing, just let him do his job."

Molly frowned, she couldn't believe how selfish this group was. "The girl who came outside earlier, that was your daughter, right?"

"…Correct." Carlos said as he threaded the needle.

"I'm sure you wouldn't treat her without numbing her wound first." Molly said in a bitter tone. "You're being ridiculous."

"My daughter has nothing to do with this. That's completely different." Carlos said.

"How so?" Molly demanded.

"It just is. I'd appreciate if you didn't speak about my child. You know nothing about her." Carlos said.

"Fine…" Molly huffed.

"Hold her still. I don't want her moving and messing up the stitching." Carlos said to Molly.

"Well, if you numbed her, she wouldn't feel it much…" Molly pointed out.

Carlos ignored her statement and said, "Just keep her in place."

Molly gave a small nod. Despite still feeling frustrated, she held the child in place.

Clementine's eyes opened up, and she gave Molly a confused look. "W-What's going on?"

"It's alright… The doctor's going to fix your arm, Clem."

"Oh…. Is it…. It is going to hurt?" Clementine asked.

Molly didn't want to lie to the child, but she didn't want to scare her either. She opted not to answer the question, instead saying to the young girl, "It will be okay."

"Okay…" The young girl said.

"Just close your eyes and try to relax…" Molly said.

The child gave a tiny nod, letting her eyes once again flutter shut.

Only a moment later Clementine felt the needle poke into her skin. Her eyes shot open and she tried to pull away, but she was held still.

Carlos started stitching the child's wound and within only seconds the girl was screaming and crying.

Molly held Clementine still, trying to resist the urge to yell at the doctor for hurting her girl. She felt like he refused to numb the girl for another reason, other than being low on supplies.

After several excruciating minutes, though to Clementine it felt like an eternity, Carlos had finished stitching the girl's arm.

The teary-eyed child looked to Molly and muttered. "I… I thought it would be okay…"

"It is okay… The worst part is over now, Clem…" Molly said.

"It hurt…" Clementine whimpered. "I didn't like it…"

"I know… but it's okay, now…" Molly said.

Carlos wrapped a piece of gauze around the girl's arm which Molly held in place while he started to bandage her arm. "She'll probably be sore for a few days, but she should be okay. Redness or swelling could be sign of infection, so be sure to keep an eye on that."

Molly nodded in response. "Alright…"

Carlos finished wrapping the bandages, and offered Clementine a pain reliever.

"Is the hurting done?" Clementine asked in a tired voice.

"It's done. Your arm's probably going to ache for a while, but this should help you with pain." Carlos said.

Clementine took the pill with a shaking hand. She put it into her mouth and swallowed it.

"You should rest for now." Carlos said.

"Okay…" Clementine said, laying back on the couch.

"As for you," Carlos turned to Molly. "We have a few questions, if you're willing to answer."

"Okay, then…" Molly said.

"We'll meet in the kitchen. I'm going to go wash my hands." Carlos said.

The others made their way to the kitchen, Molly followed after them.

Carlos grabbed his medical supplies and headed upstairs to put it away and wash his hands.

Molly tried to ignore the cold stares she got from Nick and Rebecca as she stood by the kitchen door, waiting for Carlos to come into the room.

It was silent as they waited, Nick pacing back and forth.

"So… what if the kid turns…?" Nick suddenly asked.

"What?" Molly asked back, raising a brow.

"It was a dog that bit her, Nick. She's not going to turn, boy." Pete said.

"Maybe she wasn't bit by a lurker, but that wound looked pretty bad." Nick said. "She lost a lot of blood, what if she turns?"

"That's not gonna happen." Molly said.

"You don't know that." Nick said. "For all we know her arm could already be infected. It doesn't take long for a person to turn once they die."

"Well, she's not going to die, so you won't have to worry about that." Molly said. "Clementine is tough."

"She didn't seem very tough when Carlos was treating her…" Rebecca scoffed.

"She was in pain. Even if she's tough, she's still a child." Molly reminded.

"Which is why things could easily take a turn for the worse. If she lost enough blood, who's to say she's gonna make it?" Nick said.

"That kid's been through a lot, she'll pull through." Molly said. "Look, I understand that you guys are worried-"

"You don't understand shit." Nick hissed. "We're putting ourselves at risk by helping some brat we don't even know."

"First of all, Clementine's far from a brat. I don't know what your problem is, but I'm not going to let you trash talk that kid."

"Look, Molly. Don't mind them… Our group's just on edge right now…" Luke said.

"I can tell." Molly replied.

Before long Carlos entered the kitchen.

"What exactly did you want to ask me?" Molly asked him.

"I have several things I'd like to discuss…" Carlos said.

"Okay, like what?" Molly asked.

"Where are you coming from?" Carlos questioned.

"The better question is, who are you working for?" Rebecca inquired.

"For the last time, I'm not working for anybody." Molly said. "It just Clementine and I."

"Bullshit. You expect us to believe you two survived on your own?" Nick grumbled.

"Believe it or don't believe it, that's what happened. It been just us for a while." Molly replied. "We've been traveling all around, just trying to find a safe place. I met Clementine in Savannah, almost two years ago, she was with a group then, but when things fell apart… she ended up alone. I took her in."

"What happened to her parents?" Luke asked. "I mean she's so young…"

"I never met them, but apparently she saw them in Savannah… They were geeks…" Molly explained.

"Geez… that must've been rough on the kid to see her folks as lurkers… Poor girl." Luke muttered.

"Oh please…" Rebecca scoffed. "I'm not falling for this sob story."

"It's not a sob story. It's what actually happened." Molly said. "Anyway, we're not looking for pity. Once Clementine wakes up we'll be out of your hair."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Carlos said.

"And why not?" Molly asked.

"The girl needs time to recover. Her arm may have been treated, but there's still risk of infection… She could also pull her stitches if she's not careful." Carlos said. "She's going to need to take it easy for at least a few days."

"You can't be serious, Carlos." Rebecca said. "We have enough to worry about as it is. We don't need more mouths to feed."

"Rebecca, you can't really want to throw a child out. It's horrible out there." Luke said.

"Just because its hard out there doesn't mean we need to make every survivor our problem. Things aren't a walk in the park for us either, Luke." Rebecca said.

"I know, but-"

Rebecca stopped him. "But nothing. We can't let them stay."

"I know you're paranoid, but show some humanity." Luke said. "What kind of people are we if we just throw them out."

"We're people who care about our families! Our group comes first!" Rebecca said. "What would we do when we find out they're actually with Carver?"

"Who is this Carver guy, and why are you so convinced that I'm with him?" Molly asked.

"Wha-What?" Rebecca stammered.

"Who's Carver?" Molly questioned again.

"I… D-Don't act like you don't know." Rebecca said.

"I don't. If I knew who he was I sure as hell wouldn't be asking." Molly said. "So who is he?"

Everyone was silent, not offering her an answer to her question.

"Well?" Molly said in an impatient tone.

After another moment of silence, Pete spoke. "Carver's the leader of a camp that we used to be at…"

"Pete!" Nick said.

"No point in hiding it. Especially if she's staying for a while." Pete said.

"Who says she's staying?" Rebecca huffed.

"I'm not willing to throw a woman and an injured child out. And you people shouldn't be so willing to do so either." Pete said before turning back to Molly. "We were at his camp for a while, but he left us no choice but to leave."

"Why's that?" Molly asked.

"Because William Carver is a dangerous man. As Pete said, he's the leader of a camp, not far from her. He's very smart… we were lucky… to escape…" Carlos spoke up.

"Escape? What do you mean escape?" Molly asked. "He was holding you all hostage?"

"You might as well say that." Alvin muttered.

"And he's searching for you?" Molly asked.

"I'm sure…" Carlos said. "Carver is a ruthless person. And he's not exactly one to forgive or forget."

"So… what do you guys plan to do? You can't just sit around here waiting for him to show up." Molly said.

"There's not much we can do." Luke said. "We just got to keep avoiding him."

"You can't run away forever. Sooner or later, you're going to have to face him." Molly replied.

"Maybe, but for now, running and hiding is our best option." Pete said. "We have a lot going on already… And trying to fight against Carver is too big of a risk."

"This guy must be really bad…" Molly said.

"Believe me, he's awful." Alvin said.

"Do you guys at least have a plan for if he shows up?" Molly asked.

"If he shows up here, I'll be the one to make him regret it." Alvin said.

"Alvin…" Rebecca sighed.

"I'm serious, Bec. I'm not going to tolerate that asshole fucking with my family." Alvin said.

"If he shows up, we'll have no choice but to leave the cabin. We were fortunate to find this place, but we can't take the chance of getting caught." Carlos said. "We have to do what's right for our families…"

"So I'm going to ask you one more time…" Rebecca started, "Are you working for him? You're sure asking a lot of questions, I don't want you to bring him to us."

"I have never in my life met this person." Molly said. "Clementine and I tend to travel with just us two. Most groups haven't worked out for us."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Luke said.

"Yeah… well, it's been fine with just the two of us." Molly said. "We watch each other's backs."

"Well, you're welcome to stay with us… At least until the kid heals up." Pete said, cause Rebecca to roll her eyes and Nick to groan.

"Thanks… I appreciate it." Molly said.

"This is fucking stupid…" Nick huffed.

"Whatever, I just hope you don't stay long." Rebecca said to Molly.

"Don't worry. Once Clem's healed up, we're gone." Molly said.

"Good." Rebecca said. "So… Are we done here? I'd like to go wash up."

"Yes…. Meeting adjourned." Carlos said.

With that, Rebecca practically stormed from the room.

Carlos went to go check in on Sarah while Alvin and Nick also exited the kitchen.

Molly let out a sigh.

"Don't mind her. She's just got a lot on her mind with the baby and all." Pete said.

"Yeah… I'm sure." Molly said.

"Try to make yourself comfortable." Luke said. "I'll make you and the kid something to eat."

"Thank you both… We don't mean to be any trouble. I'm just trying to look out for Clem." Molly said.

"It's no trouble at all." Pete said. "Don't worry about them. Rebecca's just stressing about the pregnancy and my nephew… he's going through hard times too. He recently lost his mother... my sister…"

"I'm sorry to hear that…" Molly said.

"Yeah… We're getting through it, the best we can anyway." Pete said. "It was a mistake on our part… We had taken in someone who had been bit… We thought things would be alright, but things got out of hand quickly…"

Molly frowned at that, "I'm sorry, Pete."

"No need to apologize. Nothing you could've done about it." Pete shrugged. "Anyway, I'm going to go take watch. Why don't you go check on your girl?"

"Alright." Molly said.

The woman headed into the living room where Clementine was resting on the couch.

Sam was still sniffing around the room, but he approached her when he noticed her enter.

"What do you want?" Molly asked the dog.

The dog sat by her feet and let out a whine.

"What?" Molly asked again before motioning to Clementine. "Look what you did to my girl."

The dog continued whining.

"You want food or something? Cause I don't have anything for you." Molly said.

Sam only continued to whine. Molly ignored the dog and walked over to Clementine. She noticed a blanket that had been placed over the young girl and wondered who had done it.

A few minutes passed before Luke entered the room.

"Hey, I made some oatmeal." Luke said.

"Thanks." Molly said.

"And I figured the dog might be hungry too, so I made him something." Luke added.

Molly noticed the bowl of beans that Luke set down for Sam and said, "That's exactly what he attacked Clementine for."

"What?" Luke asked.

"A can of beans." Molly said.

"Really…?" Luke was surprised to hear that. "So… uh, how's the kid doing?"

"She's still asleep, but she seems fine." Molly answered.

"That's good." Luke said. "I'll be sure to save her some food."

Molly sat at the table and started eating the bowl of oatmeal Luke had prepared for her.

"We have running water if you're interested in taking a shower, by the way. I can keep an eye on Clem for you." Luke offered.

Molly figured she could trust him to watch Clementine for a while. She could definitely use a shower. "Sounds good. Where's the bathroom?"

"Up the stairs. Second door on your left." Luke said. "Towels and wash-rags are in the closet."

Luke continued to make small talk with her. Molly didn't mind light conversation, it was much better than the interrogation she had received earlier.

After finishing her meal Molly headed upstairs to take a shower.

It was nice to finally get cleaned up after so long. And much to her surprise, the water was actually warm. It was relaxing.

Once Molly finished showering she headed back downstairs to check in on Clementine.

The child was no longer on the couch and Sam was no longer in the living room.

Molly figured the two were in the kitchen. She walked to the kitchen to find Clementine talking to Luke while eating a bowl of food.

Molly was glad that she could at least trust Luke and Pete when it came to having someone watch over Clementine.

"Molly!" Clementine beamed upon spotting her.

"Hey, kid. How are you feeling?" Molly asked. "You have a nice sleep."

"Yeah. I'm okay, I guess." Clementine said.

"How's the arm?" Molly asked.

"It still hurts, but I'm fine." Clementine said.

"It will probably be sore for a while, but on the bright side there's no infection." Molly said.

"Yeah. That's good." Clementine said. "And Sam's okay."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Sam's fine."

"Are we staying here?" Clementine suddenly asked.

"Only for a few days, Clem."

"But Luke said we could stay as long as we want."

Molly sent him a look. "Not all of your group would be too happy about that."

Luke shrugged. "Yeah, well… they'll just have to deal with it."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

It was past midnight when Sam's began whimpering. Clementine stirred awake from the noise. She stood up and made her way to Sam. "What's the matter, boy?"

The dog just continued whimpering.

Clementine is confused by what is wrong until he moves to sit by the dog.

"What's his problem?" Molly asked from the chair she was resting in. She had been woken by the whimpering as well.

"He wants to go outside… He… He doesn't want to run away, does he? I thought he liked me." Clementine said.

"He probably just has to go to the bathroom. If he wanted to run away he wouldn't have followed us." Molly replied. She stood up. "Come on."

Molly opened the door and Sam ran outside. Clementine and Molly followed after him and waited on the porch as Sam did his business.

Clementine gave a small yawn.

"You better get used to this kid, especially if you wanna keep him around." Molly said.

"I'm already used to it. I can't remember the last time I had a full night of sleep." Clementine said.

Sam had finished using the bathroom and made his way over to them.

"I still don't understand why you like him so much." Molly said.

"He's cute." Clementine said as she pets Sam's head.

"I don't see it. He's more trouble than he's worth." Molly said.

Clementine disagreed. "You just have to play with him. He didn't mean to hurt me. I forgave him. Can't you?"

"I can, but that doesn't mean I trust him." Molly said.

"But he's a good dog. I think he's just not used to being with people…" Clementine said.

"Maybe you're right. But he's your responsibility, so who am I to complain." Molly shrugged.

"I promise I'll take good care of him." Clementine said.

"It's not as easy as you think." Molly said.

"I've had pets before. I know how to take care of them." Clementine said.

"Ever had a dog?" Molly asked.

"Not exactly. I had pet goldfish and a hamster." Clementine said.

"A dog is a lot more work than a goldfish or a hamster." Molly pointed out.

"I know. I'm just saying. I can handle it." Clementine said.

"Alright then. Good luck." Molly replied.

Clementine just nodded.

Something about having Sam around seemed to remind Clementine of the way things used to be. She never had a dog of her own because her mother hadn't been fond of them, but Clementine enjoyed the bit of normality she felt when looking after the dog.

"Come on. Let's get back inside." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and the two headed back into the cabin.

The two settled back into their sleeping spaces.

"Molly… How long are we gonna stay here?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know, Clem." Molly said. "Probably not too long. Carlos said you need to take it easy for a while, once you're healed up, that's when we'll go."

"I wish we could find our own place. Some place safe, it'd be nice to not have to sleep in the woods for once." Clementine said.

"Yeah, you're right… But enjoy it while you can." Molly said. "It could be a while before we find a safe place."

"Once we get to Wellington we'll be safe." Clementine said. "Right?"

"You're safe right now. That's a good thing." Molly replied.

"But you don't want to stay…" Clementine said.

"We don't know how much we can trust these people yet, Clem. We don't know them." Molly responded.

"Can't we get to know them?" Clementine asked.

"With that Carver guy after them, I don't want to take the chance of sticking around." Molly said.

"He must be bad. Because they're scared of him." Clementine noted.

"Yeah. Which is why we shouldn't stay long. We don't watch to get caught up in their problems." Molly said.

"Okay…"

"Get some rest, kid." Molly said.

Clementine nodded and closed her eyes.

* * *

Clementine shifted awake, she noticed a teen girl nearby petting Sam. The girl sat up and said, "Hey."

The teen jumped in surprised. "I… I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

"No. Don't worry." Clementine said.

"Is this your dog?" The teen asked.

"Yeah. He is now." Clementine replied.

"What's his name?"

"It's Sam." Clementine answered.

"He's cute." The teen complimented with a smile.

"Thanks. He is... But Molly doesn't think so." Clementine said.

"Who's Molly?" The teen asked.

Clementine motioned to Molly who was still asleep.

"Oh."

"I'm Clementine, by the way." Clementine introduced.

"I'm Sarah."

"Nice to meet you, Sarah." Clementine said.

"You too." Sarah said. "We're friends. Right?"

"What?"

"We can be best friends. I haven't met another girl my age since way before. It's hard to be the only girl, you know." Sarah said. "Rebecca is okay, but she's old. And that's it. And if her baby's a girl it'll be forever before she's old enough to be my friend and then I'll be super old."

"I uh… Sure, we can be friends." Clementine agreed. She figured it would be nice to have someone to hang out with while they were at the cabin.

"Promise? It's important. Friends have to trust each other, no matter what." Sarah said.

"I promise." Clementine said.

"Me too." Sarah smiled, holding out her pinky. "Friends."

Clementine locked pinkies with the older girl.

Sarah looked the younger girl over, spotting the bandage on her arm. "What happened to your arm...?"

"Well... It's a long story." Clementine replied.

"I can listen." Sarah said.

Clementine was hesitant to tell her, not sure how she would react. "Sam... He bit me."

Sarah flinched at that. "Why? He's not gonna bite me too, is he?"

"No... It was an accident. He's nice. He really is." Clementine said.

Sarah gave the dog a wary look but said, "Okay…"

"Sarah? Where are you?" Carlos suddenly called.

"I'm down here, dad!" Sarah called back.

A few seconds passed before Carlos made his way downstairs. "I told you to wait for me."

"I'm sorry… You're not mad at me, are you?" Sarah asked.

"No, sweetheart. Just listen to me from now on." Carlos said.

"G-Good morning." Clementine greeted to the man.

Carlos looked the child over. "Has the dog been outside?"

"Not yet." Clementine admitted. "I was about to take him."

"You should do that now." Carlos said. "We don't need him having an accident in the house."

"Okay…" Clementine said. She didn't know why, but the doctor made her kind of nervous.

"Clementine and I are friends, dad. I'm gonna show her all my books later on." Sarah suddenly said.

"That should be nice, but how about we eat some breakfast first." Carlos replied.

Sarah nodded. "Alright."

Clementine started towards the door to take Sam outside.

"Wait." Carlos called. "I don't think you should go out on you own."

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself." Clementine protested.

"No, I'll go with you. Sarah, wait for me in the kitchen." Carlos said.

Sarah nodded and headed to the kitchen to wait.

Carlos opened the door and let Sam out. Clementine followed after the dog with Carlos close behind.

The stood in silence for a moment before Carlos spoke, "What did you tell her?"

"What?"

"My daughter. Did you say anything to her?" Carlos asked.

"Like what?" Clementine wondered.

"Anything you shouldn't have." Carlos said.

Clementine gave the doctor a confused look. "No. I didn't say anything bad, I promise."

Carlos hummed. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but there are a few things you need to know about my daughter."

"Okay…"

"She isn't like you. You may not get that initially, but once you're around her for a while you'll understand. If she knew how bad the world is… what it's really like out there… she would cease to function." Carlos said.

"But… She should know. She needs to grow up sometime-"

"You do not know what she needs." Carlos hissed.

Clementine was startled by his harsh tone.

"Considering you two are "friends" I won't ask you to stay away from her. But I do want you to watch what you say and do around her." Carlos said.

"Well… Molly doesn't want to stay, we're gonna leave in a few days."

"That's probably for the best. Rebecca was worried you might be working with someone else. That your being here was no accident. I guess we'll find out." Carlos said.

"But we're not working for anyone." Clementine said. "You're talking about that Carver guy, right? Who is he?"

"That's none of your business." Carlos said.

"But-"

"I don't have to explain anything to a child." Carlos said. "If you can't censor yourself when around my daughter then I have to ask you to stay away from her."

Clementine was confused. "I… I won't say anything to her."

"Good." Carlos said. "Let's go back inside. I need to check your arm after breakfast."

"Okay…"

* * *

When breakfast had been made and the rest of the group members gathered into the kitchen, Clementine hung back in the living room. She felt uncomfortable. They were clearly unwanted.

Rebecca only made the girl more anxious when she stepped downstairs. She eyed the child for a moment then huffed. "So, you're still here?"

Clementine looked away, not responding.

"I wouldn't get comfortable if I were you." Rebecca said. "You may have fooled everyone else, but not me."

Clementine was a bit confused. She hadn't been trying to fool anyone. "Luke... Luke invited us to stay." She innocently said.

"Good for him. But that's not how things work around here. We make decisions as a group." Rebecca stepped closer to the child. "You got what you came here for. Now go."

"Everything alright?" Molly inquired sitting up from the couch.

"I was just talking to her." Rebecca quickly said.

"Are you sure you were talking, because it looked an awful lot like you were threatening her." Molly said, raising a brow. "Is there a problem?"

"No… Why would I do that? What would I get out of threatening her?" Rebecca scoffed. "I just don't see why you two are still here."

"Don't worry, we don't plan on staying. We'll be out of your hair before you know it." Molly said.

"Good." Rebecca replied.

"And until then, I ask that you keep away from my girl." Molly said.

"Fair enough. Just don't stay long. The sooner you leave the better." Rebecca headed into the kitchen without another word.

"Nice people." Molly said in a sarcastic tone.

"Yeah…." Clementine sighed.

"Still think it's nice here?" Molly asked her.

"I think the cabin's nice, not the people." Clementine said. "Why do they hate us so much?"

"They don't. Anyway, they're not important. We'll be gone in a few days." Molly said.

"Okay…"

"Just stay close to me until then." Molly said.

Clementine nodded in response.

The two sat for a while before Pete entered the room.

"You two not hungry?" Pete asked.

"I wasn't aware that we were welcome to join the meal." Molly said.

"Well, there plenty of oatmeal. If y'all are hungry, feel free to help yourselves." Pete said.

"I… don't want anybody to get mad at me." Clementine muttered.

"Who's mad at you?" Pete asked.

"Almost everybody." Clementine said.

"No one's mad, they just got a lot on their plates." Pete said.

Clementine frowned.

"Well you gotta eat something." Pete said. "Would you feel better if I walked you in there myself?"

"Maybe…" Clementine shrugged.

"Alright, kiddo. Come on." Pete offered the girl his hand.

Molly gave a small smile, at least some of the group members were nice to the kid.

Clementine slowly took Pete's hand and he helped her to her feet.

He led the child into the kitchen with Molly following.

"Where are your manners people, are you forgetting we have guest?" Pete said as they entered the room.

"It's not our responsibility to feed them." Nick scoffed.

"It's only common courtesy." Pete said as he led Clementine to a chair. He pulled the seat out for her and she sat down.

"Thank you…" Clementine said.

"Common courtesy doesn't exist anymore. Being nice will get you killed."

"Treating people like shit will also get you killed." Molly said. "I'm not saying you have to like us. Hell, you don't even have to trust us. But can't you at least tolerant us for a few days?"

"We can try." Rebecca huffed. "I can't promise anything."

"Yeah… Same." Nick said.

"As long as you guys aren't assholes to me or Clementine, I promise I'll be a pleasant person. As pleasant as I can be anyway." Molly said.

Rebecca, Nick, and Carlos nodded.

"Fair enough." Carlos said.

* * *

After breakfast Carlos checked Clementine's arm. Clementine was still on edge around the man, especially after that morning.

Once he had finished looking over her wound, Sarah asked in Clementine wanted to take a look at her books.

Clementine didn't know how to respond. "If… it's okay with your dad."

Molly didn't miss the look Carlos sent Clementine when the child said those words.

"Dad, can she?" Sarah asked.

Carlos kept quiet for a moment then sighed. "Go ahead."

"Yes! Come on, Clementine!" Sarah grabbed the younger girl's hand and tugged her along.

Molly waited until the two girls had left the room before speaking. "Alright, I'm gonna come right out and say this. I don't appreciate people treating Clementine like crap. She's all I got, so if you have a problem with her take it up with me."

"I would hope not to have any issues with her or with you." Carlos said. "As long as neither of you overstep, you won't have any problems."

"We don't plan on causing any trouble. All we needed was some help." Molly said. "You suggested yourself that we stay for a few days."

"So the child can properly heal. I'm not going to throw her out there where she can worsen her injury." Carlos said.

"So we'll stay a few days, then we're gone. You'll never have to see us again." Molly said. "We have somewhere we're heading anyway."

"Where's that?" Luke asked.

"A place called Wellington. It's supposed to be a safe camp." Molly explained.

"Sounds like bullshit." Nick huffed.

"Could be. But maybe it's not." Molly said. "Anyway, it's the best chance we have. Not everyone is fortunate enough to find a cabin."

Luke sighed at that. "I think you guys should stay. There's enough room."

"That doesn't matter, Luke. We don't know them. And we don't need any strangers sticking around." Rebecca said.

"But, Bec… She has a kid with her…" Alvin reminded.

"Who cares, Alvin. The kid's not ours." Rebecca replied.

Alvin frowned at that.

"Look, I appreciate your offer, Luke. But no thanks. I'd rather not stay where I'm not welcomed." Molly said. She stood. "I'm going to get some air."

Molly left the kitchen and made her way to the door, Sam followed after her. She opened the door and walked outside. Sam still trailed along. Molly ignored the dog as he sat by her feet.

She was grateful that the group had stitched Clementine's arm, but she didn't like how these people acted. It surprised her that they had lived this long.

* * *

Clementine and Sarah spent the entire day talking together, looking through books, and playing board games.

A knock came at the door and Molly entered the room.

"Hey…" Molly said. "You two okay?"

The children nodded.

"Sarah's been helping me with reading." Clementine said.

"That's good." Molly said. "Mind if I look at some of the books there."

"Not at all." Sarah said. "You should read The Guurglers. That's my favorite."

"Really? What's it about?" Molly asked as she walked to the bookshelf.

"It's about trans-dimensional body snatchers. It's really good." Sarah said.

Molly looked through the bookshelf, when one book caught her eye. She picked it up. It was some kind of biology book.

"What's that?" Clementine asked her.

"I think it's one of dad's medical books. Some of the stuff in it is kind of… gross." Sarah shrugged.

"Oh…" Clementine said.

"It looks pretty interesting actually. I think I'll check it out." Molly said.

"How's Sam?" Clementine asked.

"He's fine. He's asleep now." Molly said.

"Okay. That's good." Clementine said.

"I guess. I still don't see what's so great about that mutt." Molly said.

"That's because you haven't given him a chance. You'll like him, I promise." Clementine said.

"I doubt it. But if you say so, kid." Molly shrugged and left the room.

* * *

The cabin was quiet. Most of the group had settled down for bed. Thanks to Sarah's pleading, Clementine had been allowed to spend the night in the room with the older girl.

Molly assumed everyone, with the exception of Pete who had been outside on watch, was asleep. She took advantage of the moments of quiet and began to read through the biology book she grabbed early. She had to admit that it was interesting.

As she sat on the couch reading through the book, she barely noticed someone making their way down the stairs.

She looks to Carlos as he reaches the bottom step. "How are the girls?"

"They're fine. Fast asleep." Carlos said. "I may have been harsh on your girl earlier… I apologize."

"She's alright. It didn't faze her much." Molly said.

"…What are you reading?" Carlos asked a bit curious.

"It's a book about the human body. I thought it was kind of interesting." Molly said.

"The book isn't much use. Unfortunately, there's nothing in there that could help with stopping the walkers, but if you're interested in reading it feel free to keep it." Carlos said.

"You sure?"

"Positive." Carlos replied before walking out to take over watch for Pete.

Molly went back to reading until she heard Pete enter the house.

"I'm glad you're still awake. I wanted to ask you something." Pete said.

"What's up?" Molly looked to him.

"Well, Nick and I are going to go lay out some fish traps tomorrow morning. I was wondering if you wanted to tag along." Pete said.

"You don't mind?" Molly said.

"Nah, we could definitely use the extra hand." Pete said.

"What about Clem?" Molly asked.

"If you want to bring her along, that's up to you. Otherwise, I'm sure Luke will keep an eye on her."

"Sure, I'd love to go." Molly said.

"Great." Pete said. "Well, get your winks while you, can cause we're heading out at first light."

"Will do."

Pete headed upstairs to go to bed. Molly placed the book on the table. She figured she should rest up while she can.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

The next morning came and Clementine ended up playing a few card games with Sarah while waiting for her guardian to return home.

It was actually fun to get to play like a kid again. She couldn't remember the last time she had done that.

Her day was actually pretty relaxing. None of the adults had snapped at her. And her only current responsibility was to let Sam outside to use the bathroom, and let him back in when he was done.

She wished Molly would consider staying at the cabin. It was actually a nice spot.

* * *

Laying the fish traps out had been a simple duty. The walk wasn't far and despite hearing Nick's complaints, it was nice to get out of the house.

"That girl of yours, how long have you been looking after her?" Pete asked.

"It's been two years now… She's a good kid…" Molly said. "I've always been somewhat of a loner, but Clem makes for good company."

"I'm sure. She seems like a good kid. Pretty capable too." Pete said.

Molly nodded. "Yeah. She definitely is."

"I know Rebecca gave her some hell yesterday, but don't mind her. She'll ease up soon." Pete told her.

"I'm not gonna let Clem get bullied by anyone. She's been through enough." Molly replied.

"Rebecca doesn't mean it. She's just overstressed." Pete said.

"Well, she better find a different way to release that stress instead of taking it out on Clem." Molly said.

"I don't know how you do it. Kids are obnoxious and you're raising one that's not yours." Nick chimed in.

"Don't be like that, Nick. You can be obnoxious, but we put up with you." Pete said.

"You never know what to say, do you?" Nick scoffed.

"I'm only giving you a taste of your own medicine." Pete said. "Anyway, we're done here. Let's head back to the cabin."

Molly nodded. Nick however, started trudging forward without a word.

As they walked, they all jumped when they heard a distant gunshot. Two of them.

"What the hell?" Molly furrowed her brows.

"We gotta move. Let's get back to the cabin." Pete quickly said.

"Should we try to figure out what the hell that was?" Molly asked.

"No. We do that and we could be the next to get fired at. Let's go." Pete said.

The three picked up their speed rushing towards the cabin.

Upon making it back, they quickly rushed inside. They were all out of breath from running.

"You guys okay?" Luke asked.

"We heard some gunshots." Pete explained.

"Fuck… How close…?" Luke questioned, looking worried.

"Close enough to be a concern." Pete said.

"What should we do?" Luke asked.

"Lay low for a while." Pete said. "We laid out the fish traps. We'll check back in a few days."

Luke gave a nod. "Alright… We should let the others know…"

"I'm on it." Pete said before heading to the kitchen.

"Where's Clem?" Molly asked Luke.

"She's fine. Upstairs playing with Sarah." Luke told her.

"Alright. Thanks for keeping an eye on her." Molly said.

"Anytime." Luke said.

Molly headed upstairs to check on the child. When she opened the door she was immediately jumped on by Sam who began licking her. "Down, boy! Down!"

"Molly! You're back!" Clementine beamed and jumped to her feet.

"Yeah… How've you feeling, kid?" Molly asked.

"I'm good. We were playing UNO. Wanna play?" Clementine asked.

"Maybe later…" Molly said. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Everyone treating you right?"

"Nobody was mean today." Clementine said.

"That's good." Molly replied.

Clementine noticed the woman wearing a bothered expression. "What's wrong? You look… worried. Did something happen?"

"…We heard gunshots…" Molly admitted after a moment.

"Wh-What?" Sarah gasped.

"Is everyone okay?" Clementine asked.

"Everyone's fine. It was pretty far away, so there's nothing to worry about…" Molly said.

"A-Are you sure… W-Who was shooting? Why would someone be shooting?" Sarah stammered.

Molly noticed the look of panic and confusion on the teen's face. "I don't know, but it's okay. We're safe here, girls."

"Promise?" Sarah asked.

"I promise…" Molly said.

"O-Okay…" Sarah sighed in relief. "M-My dad will protect us Clem."

"Umm… alright…" Clementine said.

Molly sighed. "Why don't you two go back to your game?"

The girls nodded and went back to playing.

Molly headed downstairs to where the adults were gathered in the kitchen.

Rebecca's voice was heard, "G-Gunshots? Do you think it was-"

"I don't know. We didn't stick around to find out." Pete said.

"Just how much longer are we safe at this cabin? It's only a matter of time before he finds us…." Rebecca's voice was full of worry.

"You think it was that Carver guy?" Molly spoke up.

The group quickly fell silent.

"Why's he after you?" Molly asked.

"After me? U-Us?" Rebecca said. "He's crazy that's why."

"If he shows up here, he's gonna regret it." Alvin said.

"If he's really that dangerous. Maybe getting rid of him would be smart." Molly said.

"It's not that simple. He's the leader of a camp not far from here and he's very smart. We were lucky to escape." Carlos explained.

"What did he do?" Molly asked.

"He's just crazy…" Rebecca said. "We need to avoid him at all cost."

"So what's the issue with killing him?" Molly said.

"His followers are the issue. When there leaders gone, they'll want to retaliate. We could start a damn war. And we're outnumbered." Nick said.

"Then what's the plan if he does show up here?" Molly asked.

"We head north before he does. There should be a safe spot we can find out there." Luke answered.

"For now, we lay low… Let things ease down, make sure we don't see anyone or anything suspicious. No one leaves the cabin for a few days." Pete said.

The others nodded in agreement.

* * *

Those few days were full of tension. The group seemed even more on edge. However, after three days had passed, pretty uneventful Pete decided that they should go check the fish traps.

"Can I go?" Clementine asked.

"Clem, it could be dangerous." Molly sighed.

"I'm not a little kid, Molly. I can handle it." Clementine said.

Molly sent her a look. "Actually, Clem… You are a little kid… No offense."

"You know what I mean…" Clementine said.

Molly sighed and crouched to her level. "If I let you come, you have to promise to never leave my side."

"I promise!" Clementine quickly said.

"Alright…" Molly said.

The child smiled.

Molly stood just as Pete and Nick came downstairs.

"Ready to go?" Pete asked.

Molly nodded. "Yeah, we're ready."

"We're? … Hold on… Don't tell me the kid's coming too." Nick groaned.

"Of course she is." Molly said. "She said she wants to tag alone. I figured I'd let her."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Nick asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Molly questioned back.

"I just don't think it's smart to drag a kid along. She'll slow us down." Nick complained.

"No, I won't." Clementine said.

"Clem can handle herself." Molly said.

"Obviously. That's why she got attacked by that dog." Nick scoffed.

"Sam didn't mean it. He's actually friendly…" Clementine said, petting the dog before walking over to stand by Molly.

"This is so dumb." Nick huffed.

Pete shook his head. "Quit your bellyaching and let's get a move on, boy."

"Whatever." Nick muttered.

"Come on, let's get going." Pete said.

"What about Sam? He should come too." Clementine said, looking to the dog.

"As long as he doesn't start barking, we don't need him drawing any unwanted attention." Pete saod tp the child.

"I'll keep him quiet." Clementine said.

"Clem…" Molly sighed.

"Please, Molly? I promise I'll make sure he doesn't get too loud." Clementine said.

Molly looked to Pete.

"Up to you." Pete shrugged.

"Alright, Clem. But he barks, and we leave him." Molly said coldly.

Clementine pouted at that. "I don't want to leave him."

"Well if he decides to call the geeks, he gets to be the sacrifice. Come on, stay close to me." Molly said.

Clementine huffed at Molly words and called to Sam, who quickly rushed after her.

* * *

The walk was awkwardly silent for a while.

There was so clear tension with Nick there. Clementine had to admit, she felt a bit nervous around the man.

"Does it really take all of us to deal with some damn fish traps?" Nick suddenly grumbled. "I could've dealt with this on my own."

"You can hardly be trusted to tie your own shoelaces, let along get dinner for the whole group." Pete replied.

"How come your always treating me like an idiot?!" Nick inquired.

"I'll stop treating you like one when you stop acting like one. Grow up, boy." Pete said.

"How about you shut the hell up." Nick retorted. "I think that would make us all happy."

"Please don't fight." Clementine pleaded.

"Stay out of this, kid!" Nick snapped.

"Hey, don't talk to her like that!" Molly snapped at him.

Nick glared at them before saying, "Whatever. I'm going to take a piss."

"Thanks for the announcement, next time we'll be sure to play it over a big speaker." Pete commented sarcastically.

"Yeah, yeah." Nick walked off.

"What is it with him?" Molly asked.

"He's… He's just got some growing up to do. Don't mind him." Pete said.

"Pretty hard not to when he acts like that." Molly said. "Is he always that way?"

"More or less." Pete replied. "Frankly, I'm pretty used to it. I've only know him all his life."

"I feel for you then." Molly said.

"He's not that bad, once you get used to his mood swings. The boy's got his mom's temper."

"Where's she?" Clementine asked. "His mom, I mean…"

"Clem…" Molly called in a warning tone.

"No, it's fine… She… We lost her recently." Pete said. "It was… a situation that got out of control."

"Oh… I'm sorry. You don't have to talk about it…" Clementine said.

Pete let out a sigh. "We were trying to help someone who had a bite… We knew they were injured but… we didn't know the full extent… when we realized it, it was too late. My sister was right there and she…" He trailed off.

Clementine and Molly both frowned.

"Things haven't been the same… Nick's grieving and the group's been on edge, plus we have Carver after us… it's just a big mess." Pete explained.

"I'm sure…" Molly said.

"Who is Carver? Why is he after you?" Clementine asked.

"It's… a tricky situation, Clementine. Some people are just crazy." Pete said.

"So… he's crazy?" Clementine asked.

"Probably more than that." Pete said.

"He sound dangerous." Clementine noted with a frown.

"Trust me, we wouldn't be avoiding him if he wasn't." Pete said.

"At some point you guys are going to have to tell us something about this guy. Something more than "he's dangerous"." Molly said. "He leads a camp, he has some crazy followers. What else?"

"And at some point we'll tell you..." Pete replied.

Molly rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's keep moving." Pete said.

"What about Nick?" Clementine asked.

"He'll catch up." Pete said as he started walking. The other two followed. "Anyway, how are you two holding up?"

"Fine, considering. Honestly, I don't know how long we're gonna stick around. I get that your groups on edge, but if you guys have some psycho after you, I can't take a chance of putting Clem in danger." Molly said.

"We've been avoiding him pretty good so far… I don't think it's smart to take a child out there with the lurkers." Pete said.

"The geeks are the least of our concern. We can easily handle them." Molly said.

"If you say so." Pete said. "Well, when your time comes to depart, I won't stop you. You guys just be safe out there."

"Always." Molly said.

"How far are the fish traps?" Clementine asked.

"It ain't much further." Pete answered.

Pete noticed Clementine's gaze drift to his gun. He looked to Molly. "I take it you taught her to shoot? And by that I mean properly. Any idiot with a finger can shoot."

"My friend Lee taught me." Clementine quickly said.

"Lee?" Pete repeated.

"He took care of me, when this first started." Clementine said.

"Oh… I take it he didn't make it…?" Pete asked.

"I… had to shoot him." Clementine looked away with a frown.

"I'm sorry to hear that, kid… I can't imagine how hard that must've been for you." Pete said.

"Yeah…" Clementine sighed.

Sam seemed to pick up on the girl's sudden sadness as he rubbed against her hand.

Clementine gave a tiny smile, "Thanks, Sam."

"Clementine knows how to defend herself, you don't have to worry about that." Molly said. "Like I said before, she's very capable."

"I figured someone taught her. Especially since she's lasted so long." Pete said.

"I never shot a rifle before though." Clementine said.

"I'm not surprised. This thing would probably knock you on your ass." Pete said. "What I am surprised about is that you two don't have a group. How long has it been that way?"

"A while. I'm not a big 'people person'… And most groups tend to fall apart after some time." Molly said.

"Not this one. We're a solid group, as dysfunctional as we can be at times. Trust is the foundation, it's what keeps the group together." Pete said. "A group's like a family. You gotta be able to trust your family."

"It's hard to trust people out here." Molly said.

"I agree with that." Pete said. "It's good that she can defend herself though. It's important nowadays."

"Yeah, not just with a gun though. I make sure she could use a knife too." Molly said.

"That's good." Pete said. "Nick was about Clementine's age first time I took him hunting. We came across this beautiful thirteen-point buck just standing there at the ridge-line. The boy takes the rifle… lines up the shot like I taught him… and then I hear him start whinin'. He turns to me and he says, "I can't do it. I can't shoot it, Uncle Pete. Please don't make me shoot it."

"Aw, that's sad." Clementine said.

Suddenly Nick came rushing over, a scowl on his face. "Hey! Why didn't you wait?"

"You want us standing around while you piss on a tree? You know where the river is, boy." Pete said. "Anyway, so I grab the gun out of his hand before the big buck runs off, when BANG. The gun fires. The boy nearly gut shot me, and of course the buck gets away."

"What are you going and telling them this shit for?!" Nick inquired.

"Just trying to let them know it's nothing personal with you." Pete said.

"Calm down, both of you." Molly said.

"Why don't you mind your damn business?" Nick spat.

"Why don't you watch your damn tone?" Molly retorted.

"Please don't fight…" Clementine said.

"Nick, it wasn't a big deal." Pete said.

Nick shot him a look. "Why are you always giving me a hard time?"

"Because you're always giving everyone else a hard time." Pete replied.

"You're always trying to embarrass me." Nick grumbled.

"You're doing a good enough job of that on your own!" Pete said.

Nick groaned before bumping pass his uncle.

"Leaving us again?" Pete huffed.

"I know where the fucking river is!" Nick snapped.

Pete watched him go before sighing. "So anyway… I found that buck later that season. Shot it right in the neck. Brought it up to my sister's figurin' she'd wanna freeze some of the meat. Nick didn't speak to me for weeks." Pete finished his story. "Sometimes you gotta play a role… even if it mean people you love hate you for it."

"He doesn't hate you." Clementine said.

"He obviously has a lot of growing up to do, but Clem's right. He doesn't hate you." Molly said.

Pete rubbed the back of his head, wearing a frown as he contemplated their words.

"UNCLE PETE!"

"Nick?!" Pete called back, looking concerned.

They quickly rushed toward the direction Nick had ran off in. Upon arriving by the river they were met with a gruesome sight.

Several bodies were laid on the ground. They looked around in horror.

"Holy shit…" Molly muttered.

Sam started growling.

"It's okay, boy… It's okay…" Clementine said, trying to keep him calm.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…" Pete muttered. He slowly poked one of the bodies with his gun. "…Full of holes…"

"W-Who do you think did this?" Clementine stammered.

"Not sure yet, but it ain't your average gang of thugs, that much I know." Pete said.

"Think about it, you're Carver what do you do?" Nick said.

"Okay, I keep hearing about this Carver. Just who the hell is he, really? Why are you all so scared of him?" Molly asked.

"He's a crazy fucker." Nick simple said.

"Look, now's not the time…" Pete said.

"Then when is the time?" Molly asked.

"We need to check these bodies." Pete said.

"Fine, but I want answers once we're done here." Molly said.

Pete sighed. "Let's just check these guys. Be careful. Some of them might still be moving."

Molly and Nick both nodded and did as he said.

"Stay close to me, Clem." Molly said.

"O-Okay…" Clementine stammered, still shocked by what she was seeing.

They proceeded to check the bodies. Clementine kept close to Molly while Sam started sniffing around.

Suddenly the dog started barking.

"Sam, what's wrong?" Clementine asked. She looked to the direction the dog was focused on and her eyes widened. "There are more out there."

"This wasn't no rinky-dink pissing match." Pete said as he stood up and stepped away from the body he had been checking.

"What was it then?" Nick asked.

"FUBAR." Pete started making his way to the other side of the river.

"Where are you going? We need to get the fuck outta here!" Nick called.

"Gotta check the rest." Pete simply said.

"What? Why?!" Nick demanded.

"Calm down and think about it, son!" Pete exclaimed.

"Calm down?! We gotta get outta here now!" Nick replied.

"Jesus Christ, get ahold of yourself." Pete groaned.

"What if someone's alive?" Clementine said.

"Who cares?" Nick said.

"If they are they might be inclined to tell us who did this." Pete said.

"That might be true, but it might not be a smart idea to stick around so whoever did this can come back." Molly said.

"We'll be fine. We gotta do this now. The faster we check them, the faster we can leave." Pete said.

Molly sighed. "Fine. Let's just hurry the hell up."

"Stay here, keep searching these." Pete told Nick.

"This is a dumb idea." Nick said.

"I don't like it either, but sooner or later you're gonna have to realize a simple truth." Pete told his nephew.

"What? That you're an asshole?" Nick demanded.

"That nobody is this world is gonna give a Goddamn whether you like something or not! You gotta grow up, son." Pete said.

"Whatever…" Nick groaned.

"Come on, Clem. You wanna be useful? Keep a look out on that treeline. Whoever did this might still be out there. Waiting for another sucker to stumble upon this mess. Just like baiting a fish." Pete said.

"Molly?" Clementine looked to her guardian for permission.

"Just stay close." Molly said.

"Okay." Clementine agreed.

"Look, just keep your head on straight…" Pete said. He suddenly heard a groan and turned to walker, impaled by a spear. He examined the walker. "Same deal. He's shot to pieces… Hope this wasn't anyone you knew."

"No…" Clementine said.

"Good." Pete pulled the spear free and used it to stab the walker through the head. With the walker dead, he looked around. "Damn it, more on that side. You check out these ones. See if there's anything on them that might these us who they were."

"I'm on it." Clementine said.

"You always so agreeable?" Pete asked her.

"No." Clementine said.

"Good, you'll fit right in with this outfit." Pete said. "I'm gonna check the other side."

"I'll go with you. Clem, shout if you need anything." Molly said.

"Okay." The child replied.

Pete and Molly took off to the other side of the river.

Clementine proceeded to look at the remaining bodies on that side. She flinched when she suddenly heard a cough. Her eyes widened as she looked down at the figure and realized they were one of the men who had attacked her and Molly.

Sam was beside her, and the man was injured so she knew she had nothing to be afraid of. "W-Who did this to you?" She asked.

"P-Please…" The man managed to get out. "W-Water…"

"I… I don't have anything… I'm sorry…" Clementine said. She didn't feel too sorry, her first impression of this man was he was a bad person. But if she had water on her she would've given him some, for the sake of saving her humanity.

Suddenly Pete gave out a yelp.

Molly looked over from the body she had been checking, while Clementine quickly jumped to her feet as Sam began barking.

"Are you okay?" Molly called.

"I… I'm fine… I just… lost my footing…" Pete called back.

Molly furrowed her brows.

Clementine glanced to the man's ripped pants leg, but before she could say anything Sam started barking more.

"Shit! Lurkers!" Nick called. He wasted no time in firing his rifle.

Pete raised his gun, but it was no good. The gun clicked. "I'm out of ammo!"

Molly rushed over to Pete. "We gotta get out of here!"

"Come this way! I'll cover you!" Nick called.

Molly knew it was too risky.

Clementine stood in place, unsure of what to do. "M-Molly?" Clementine called.

"Go with Nick!" Molly told her. As much as she didn't trust him, Clementine could easily run straight to him without the risk of getting grabbed by a walker.

Clementine started to protest. "B-But-"

"Go now!" Molly ordered.

Clementine nodded and did so. "Come on, Sam!"

Nick was still firing shots. Clementine grabbed at his arm and he nearly turned the gun onto her in surprise.

"Nick, we gotta go!" Clementine said.

"What about my uncle?!" Nick asked.

"He'll be fine! We gotta get out of here!" Clementine said.

Nick huffed, but obliged. The two ran off.

They raced through the woods for several minutes. Sam's was constantly growling and barking as he ran right along with them. However, Clementine was shocked when the dog had suddenly darted pass them. "S-Sam!"

Nick quickly grabbed the girl. "Forget him!"

"W-What?! No!" Clementine cried out.

Nick ignored her and pulled her towards a shed. He quickly tossed the door open and yanked the child inside.

He shut the door and took a deep breath. He pushed against the door as the walkers began banging, Clementine did the same.

* * *

Molly had noticed Pete running with an obvious limp. When they finally managed to stumbled upon a truck they quickly locked themselves inside to wait out the undead.

"Well, they shouldn't be able to get through that. But on the downside, we can't get through them." Pete sighed.

"We'll have to wait until they clear out." Molly said.

"Unfortunately. Who knows how long that'll take…" Pete said. He slowly took a seat and clutched at his injured leg.

"So… What are you gonna do?" Molly asked.

Pete furrowed his brows. "What?"

"About your leg?" Molly asked. "You… Were you bit?"

Pete was silent, but that was answer enough.

"Shit… I'm sorry… Maybe we can-"

Pete stopped her. "What? You and I both know what a bite means."

Molly frowned, her gaze flickered to a nearby saw. "You could always… cut it off?"

Pete followed her gaze and his eyes grew wide.

* * *

Loud bangs crashed against the door. It looked like it would give at any minute. Clementine was worried that if the walkers would actually manage to break it off its hinges.

"We… We need something to block the door with!" Clementine said.

Suddenly Nick moved away from the door.

"What are you doing? Nick!" Clementine gasped as she was left to secure the door on her own.

A moment passed before Nick returned with a crate which he used to block the door.

Clementine sighed in relief and took a step back. "What about Sam? He's still out there."

"Screw him." Nick said.

"He's my friend!" Clementine exclaimed.

"He's a dog!" Nick argued.

"He's nice…" Clementine muttered.

"Nice? Didn't he bite the shit out of your arm? I'm sure he'd do it again." Nick said.

Clementine frowned at that. "He didn't mean it."

"Sure he did." Nick said. "Wave some food near him again, he might bite your face off next time."

Clementine cringed at the thought. "Are you always so… crude?"

"Do you even know what that means?" Nick asked back.

"Do you think I would've said it if I didn't?" Clementine replied.

"Yeah, I do think so." Nick said.

Clementine rolled her eyes at that.

"You should be more worried about Uncle Pete and Molly than a stupid dog." Nick told her.

"Molly knows how to take care of herself… I'm sure they'll be okay." Clementine said.

"I guess…" Nick shrugged, taking a seat.

"What do we do now?" Clementine asked.

"I don't care." Nick said.

"If we're stuck here, we should at least look around. Maybe we can find something to help us get out of here." Clementine suggested.

"Knock yourself out." Nick replied.

Clementine decided to start looking around as Nick sat in silence. "Aren't you going to help me?"

"What for?" Nick huffed.

"Because… we should at least try to do something." Clementine said.

"There's nothing we can do. Sit down and wait to die, I guess…" Nick said.

"You shouldn't talk like that…" The child scolded.

"Why not?"

"Because... it's bad to be so negative." Clementine said.

"What do you know?" Nick scoffed.

"A lot more than you think." The child went back to her searching. She noticed some kind of object that was unfamiliar to her. She examined it.

"It's a still." Nick explained.

"I know what it is." She called.

"The fuck you do." Nick said.

"Okay… What then?" Clementine asked.

"It's for making booze. That rig ain't fit to piss in." Nick said.

The child stood and continued her search around the shack. She looked to a cracked window. "Do you think they'll break through that window…?"

Nick ignored the girl.

Clementine huffed. "Guess I'll just stand here, talking to myself."

Nick still gave no response.

Clementine eventually noticed some kind of shelf and picked up a jar from it.

"What is that stuff, lemme see?" Nick said.

Clementine obliged, bring the jar to him.

Nick opened it and took a whiff, then a sip. "Whiskey…"

"Now what?" The child asked.

"Oh, fuck if I know. We wait, I guess…"

Clementine slowly took a seat and decided to wait as Nick said.

She hoped someone found them soon.

* * *

"Are you really suggesting that I cut off my leg?" Pete asked, looking shocked.

"Cutting it off, could save your life. That might be your only option." Molly said.

"Like that would work…" Pete said. "My cousin got real lucky… Me or the other hand… We're stuck in a van. And I'll bleed out like a stuck pig."

"We can figure something out." Molly said.

"Like what?" Pete asked.

"Leave that to me." The woman replied.

"…How far do you think I'd get with a missing leg?" Pete wondered.

"I guess we'd have to find out." Molly said.

"I'd probably pass out from the amputation… And what about the lurkers, how would we get pass them?" Pete asked.

"Noise attracts them. If I can find a way out of here, I can try to lure them to a different spot." Molly said.

"I don't see any way out…" Pete said.

"If I find a way to make enough noise at the back door, I can get out through the front." Molly said. "From there I should be able to take the geeks out."

"You don't think that's too risky?" Pete asked.

"I'm used to taking risk. Sometimes you have no other choice." Molly said. "I don't wanna let you die here. But… the only way I can save you, is if you let me…" She motioned to the saw. "I'll let you think it through, while I have a look around…" Molly said.

Pete just kept quiet while Molly began searching around.

There wasn't much useful around, but she did manage to find some clothes, that appeared clean enough to use as bandages. She knew however, she'd need something to clean the wound. Otherwise, it would get infected.

She opened up a box finding a pack of cigarettes.

"What's in there?"

Molly picked a pack up, showing it to him.

"Give me one of those." Pete said.

"I'm sure they're bad by now." Molly replied.

"Probably, but I'd smoke a dead coon's tail if I could." Pete said.

Molly handed him one of the cigarettes.

"Got a light?"

She pulled a lighter from her pocket and flicked it.

Pete coughed a bit, "Well, that taste about as bad as it smells."

"I'm sure." Molly said.

"Want one?" Pete asked.

The woman refused. "Nah… I'm good."

"Suit yourself…" Pete said.

"So… what do you want to do?" Molly asked.

Pete let out a long sigh and looked to the saw. "Do you think it will even work?"

"If we're fast. We have to do it before the infection has the chance to spread." Molly responded.

Pete took a deep breath "I guess I have nothing to lose… Expect my piggy-wigglies…"

"You sure?"

"It's probably my only chance at survival." Pete said with a frowned. "And I should take it."

"Probably… And trust me, you'll get a lot farther if you're alive than if you die from a bite." Molly said.

Pete gave a nod. "Cut it off."

Molly reached for the saw…


	18. Chapter 18

_**Thanks to gaara king of the sand for the help.**_

* * *

Muffled screams filled the truck. Molly forced herself to keep cutting, despite Pete's pained yells. The faster this was over with, the better.

Pete bit down on his jacket, trying to force himself to quiet down.

The yells continued with each movement of the saw, until eventually Pete could take no more and passed out.

Molly noticed that he had lost consciousness but continued cutting. She could feel her heart pounding as she hoped he stayed alive. Last thing she needed was to be trapped in a truck with a geek.

When Molly finally finished amputating the leg, she used her own jacket to wrap it up. It wasn't the cleanest, but it would have to do for now.

She was sure Pete's group was having a fit right now, but unfortunately, there was nothing they could do.

There were too many geeks outside, thanks to Pete's yelling, and Pete was in no condition to move. If she could somehow get out of the truck, she could find a way to lure the geeks elsewhere.

She let out a sigh as she felt Pete's forehead. He already felt hot. She hoped they amputated fast enough, and that he didn't have some kind of infection.

Molly sat back, she was tired, but she decided to keep awake. It was too risky to sleep right now.

She'd have to keep an eye on him for the night and hope the group found them before it was too late. Hopefully Clementine and Nick had got back to the cabin and alerted the others to come find them.

Hopefully…

* * *

Clementine found herself startled awake by a loud crash. She flinched and looked around. She noticed that it was now dark. The child slowly got to her feet and cautiously made her way over to the source of the noise.

She spotted Nick, throwing glass jars.

"Nick, stop." Clementine ordered.

Nick's response was to throw another bottle.

The child huffed crossing her arms, ready to scold him as he reached for another jar.

Nick seemed have a change of heart, as he didn't throw it. "I had to kill my mom…" He suddenly spoke in a small voice. "That sounds weird when I say that out loud, huh?"

Clementine frowned at that. "I…I'm sorry."

"Luke always used to push me." Nick changed the subject. "I never wanted to go into business with him… I remember when he sold me on it. His big plan. Some fuckin' plan. A case of beer and he just said, "Nick, we're burning daylight." And that was that."

Clementine took a seat, part of her wondered why he was telling her all this, but she listened to him talk without a word of her own.

"After six months, we were flat broke. But I didn't care. We were havin' fun." Nick continued. "I wish I was like him. I wish I could just… keep moving all the time. But I'm just not… built like that…. Everyone I grew up with, it all…happened to them. And now, it's gonna happen to us. We're all so fucked. This whole world is fucked."

"We'll make it." Clementine said.

"Bullshit. I mean, what's the point. We'll just march to some new place and somebody else will die. It's never gonna stop, and eventually it'll be our turn."

Clementine sighed at that. "You're just drunk…"

Nick shook his head. "You know I'm right."

"Stop being so negative." Clementine replied.

Nick sighed. "I can't believe we've been here a day. A day! It's been a day, right?"

Silence fell for a moment.

"Hey kid,"

Clementine raised a brow when Nick motioned for her to take the jar he'd been drinking from.

"Have a drink with me. It's gonna be your first, and your last." Nick chuckled.

Clementine furrowed her brows, then declined the offer. "No thanks."

Nick shrugged and took another swig of the alcohol. "Listen, they're not comin' for us. You should go. Run for it."

"Wh-What are you gonna do?" Clementine asked.

"Stay here. I'm tired. Go find Luke and the rest. They're good people, they'll take care of you." Nick said.

"You should come with me." Clementine replied.

Nick snorted. "Are you kidding? And leave all this?"

"You can't just sit here and die." Clementine sighed.

"Why not? What does it matter?" Nick responded.

"You still have Luke and everyone else. They're your family." Clementine said. "Nick, I need your help, please."

Nick sat quietly for a couple seconds before standing. "You're right… If we get separated, cabin's only half a mile from here, you can't miss it."

Clementine nodded her understanding.

"You ready?" Nick asked.

The child gave another nod.

The moved the crate that was in front of the door and pulled the doors open. The two stepped outside, despite being weaponless.

Nick used one of the glass jars to hit a nearby walker before taunting. "Ha, fuck you, motherfucker."

The two looked around, and with dread they realized they were surrounded and the dead were closing in.

Much to Clementine's surprise Nick started to distract the undead, while telling the child to make a break for it. As much as she wanted to stay and help Nick, she knew there wasn't much she could do.

She needed to find Luke and they others, they could help.

The child broke into a run. As she got further and further away, she hoped that Nick would be alright.

* * *

Throughout the night, Pete would drift in and out of consciousness, each time he would wake up, Molly would worry that he had turned, only to be relieved when he drifted back off again.

She stood to check his temperature again, he was still hot.

And she noticed his leg was bleeding through her jacket.

She was faced with a dilemma, either get Pete out of there soon, or he was going to die. She knew he wouldn't be able to walk, and she couldn't exactly carry him. She was going to have to find the others and bring them back to Pete.

As much as she didn't want to leave the older man, she didn't have a choice. This was the safest place for Pete. At least in here he'd be protected from the geeks.

She gently nudged him awake, causing him to groan.

"Wh-Where are we?" Pete choked out.

"Still in the truck." Molly answered. "Listen, I'm going to go find the others."

"With t-the lurkers out there…?" Pete asked.

"I know how to handle geeks, don't worry about me." Molly said. "You just try to rest. I'll be as quick as I can."

Pete gave a weak nod, eyes fluttering shut once more.

Molly sighed. "Don't die on me, old man…" She muttered as she made her way to the door.

The woman opened the door and managed to take out a couple of still lingering geeks. The woman sighed, she debated on if she should bring Pete or not, but she knew it would be a bad idea if they got caught up with geeks. Pete couldn't walk, let alone run.

Molly started to run, avoiding geeks the best she could, and kill the ones within her reach. Many thoughts ran through her head. She hoped Pete could make it through this. She hoped Clementine was okay. She hoped Nick didn't get Clementine stuck in anymore trouble. She trusted that Clementine could handle herself, but Nick was reckless, who knew what would happen.

Those thoughts propelled her forward, making her run faster than before.

* * *

It was early morning when the cabin came into view. Clementine stopped a moment to catch her breath. She made her way to the door and pushed it open, seeing Carlos and Rebecca sitting in the kitchen.

Carlos stood upon spotting her. "Clementine! Are you alright?"

Clementine didn't get the chance to respond before the doctor furrowed a brow and Rebecca got to her feet.

"Luke's not with you?!" Carlos asked.

"Where's Alvin?" Rebecca inquired.

Clementine lowered her gaze, which they seemed to notice.

"What happened?" Carlos asked.

The two adults made their way before the child to question her.

"It's been hours!" Carlos exclaimed. "Where are they?!"

"Clem?!" Rebecca called impatient, wanting the child to respond.

"We got attacked." Clementine said quietly.

"By who?!" Rebecca asked.

"Geeks." Clementine answered. "We all got separated. Pete got bit. Molly's was with him, but I don't know what happened. I was with Nick, but…."

"Where were you? Where were you exactly?!" Rebecca questioned.

"Down by the stream." Clementine replied.

Rebecca turned to Carlos. "We gotta go."

"Just hold on a minute." Carlos said.

"My husband is still out there! GET. THE. GUNS." Rebecca snapped.

Carlos paused before running to do so.

"Luke and Alvin went out looking for you. I told them not to go." Rebecca said. "Damn it, Luke."

Carlos soon returned and handed Rebecca a gun, while keeping one for himself.

Clementine wanted to stop them, to tell them it was a bad idea, but she knew they wouldn't listen. "You should bring medical supplies, in case someone got hurt…" The child suggested.

Carlos nodded and went to gather a first aid kit. When he returned he looked to Clementine, "Clementine, can you… Can you please watch Sarah? She's upstairs. Just distract her, and don't tell her anything! She gets… nervous."

"I'll look after her, you can trust me." Clementine said.

"Thank you." Carlos sighed in relief. "You'll be safe inside, just don't open the doors for anything. We'll be back soon."

Clementine nodded, and Carlos and Rebecca took off.

The child decided to see what Sarah was up to, but halfway up the stairs, she heard the door. The girl flinched slightly.

"Clementine!"

She beamed at the voice.

"Molly!" The child rushed down the stairs to hug her guardian. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. How about you?" Molly asked.

"I'm still not bitten." Clementine said, breaking the hug.

"Good. That makes two of us." Molly said.

"Where's Pete…?" Clementine asked.

"He… He got bit Clem." Molly broke the news to the child.

"I know… I saw…" Clementine said.

"I… I had to cut it off… His leg, I mean." Molly informed the girl.

Clementine gasped at that. "But why? That wouldn't work."

"We had to try it. It's the only thing I could think of to save his life." Molly said. "But he's bleeding, and he needs proper medical attention. Where's Carlos?"

"He just left." Clementine told her guardian.

"What?"

"With Rebecca." Clementine said.

Molly huffed. "Damn it… What about everyone else."

"Only me and Sarah are here right now." Clementine answered.

"Fuck…" Molly huffed. "I guess I'll have to do this myself. Where does Carlos keep his medical supplies."

"I'm not sure, but I think Sarah knows." Clementine said. "Carlos said not to tell her anything though…"

Molly rolled her eyes and headed upstairs with Clementine following. Clementine opened Sarah's door only to be startled by a flash as the teen took her picture.

"Say cheese!" Sarah giggled. "I found this under the house there was all kinds of old stuff. It's so cool. Take one of me."

Molly nudged Clementine into the room. "Actually, Sarah, now's not a good time. I need your help."

"With what?" Sarah asked.

"Can you tell me where you dad keeps his medical supplies?" Molly asked back.

"Why? Is someone hurt…?" A worried looked crossed Sarah's face.

Clementine frowned, keeping quiet.

"Pete is." Molly answered.

"W-What? What happened to him?" Sarah gasped.

"He got bit…" Molly replied.

Sarah's eyes widened. "By a monster?"

"Yeah… But he's okay, I just need the medical supplies." Molly said.

"In the bathroom closet… We don't have many bandages though. Luke and Pete said they would get more during their next run…" Sarah answered.

"I don't think Pete can run anymore…." Clementine muttered.

"Look, I'll get the supplies, you two stay here." Molly said.

The two girls nodded.

"Umm… C-Clem, where's my dad?" Sarah asked.

Clementine paused before sighing, "You should know what's going on…"

"He told you not to tell me… Didn't he?" Sarah realized with a frown.

"He is in trouble." Clementine said.

The teen gasped again. "Oh my gosh… What happened? Clem?"

"Everyone's gone… It's bad…" Clementine replied.

Sarah turned away and started taking quick breaths. "S-Sorry, I just need to-" She took a seat to gather herself.

Clementine sat beside the teen. "Still want your picture taken?"

"S-Sure…" Sarah stood, and handed the younger girl the camera. "Get me in a good pose, okay."

Clementine nodded.

"I'm ready."

The child snapped the photo and Sarah smiled. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Clementine said.

"So… Wanna see what I found?" Sarah asked.

"Sure." Clementine said.

Sarah reached under the bed and retrieved a gun. "Will you show me how to use it? I couldn't find any bullets. If something's wrong, I should know. What if I have to use one."

"Okay…" Clementine agreed. "But it's not a toy."

"I know."

"First remember it's just a thing." Clementine said, helping adjust the teens grip on the gun.

"What does that mean?" Sarah asked.

"Um… I don't know…" Clementine said.

"I thought it'd be heavier." Sarah muttered. "Okay, what do I do?"

"The most important thing is, always aim for the head." Clementine said.

"Okay."

"Unless it's a person trying to hurt you." The child added.

"Then what do I do?" Sarah asked.

"Just keep shooting." Clementine replied.

"What should I shoot?" Sarah aimed, aiming the gun towards Clementine.

"Don't do that!" The child exclaimed, ducking down.

"S-Sorry…" Sarah walked over to the window. "Maybe I could practice outside. There's that tree… Hey, Luke's back!"

Clementine didn't get to reply before the teen had darted out the room.

Clementine followed, she could hear Molly upstairs gathering supplies. She made her way downstairs and over to Sarah.

The child felt her heart skip a beat when the older girl said in a shaky voice, "That's not Luke."


End file.
